IRLF 


17Q 


iff 


i 


VOPSJS 


JEWISH  HISTORY. 


THE  ROBERT  E.  COWAN  COLLECTION 

i-ki  -  ;  HI 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


C    P.  HUNTINGTON 

!  No   /£  <?'2S~1    Cl 


SYNOPSIS  OF  JEWISH  HISTORY 


FKOM   THE  KKTI'KM   OF  TJfK  JKW8  FROM   THE 


BABYLONISH  CAPTIVITY, 


To   THK  DAYS  OF 


HEROD     THE 


Giving  an  account  of  the  different  Sects  of  those  days  ;   the  Introduction 

and  use  of  Synagogues  and  Schools  ;  the  origin  and  introduction  of 

Prayer  among  the  Jews  ;    the  Urecm  and  Thumecm  ;   the 

Mishnaor  Oral  Law;  the  Gemara-Completion,  usually 

styl.-il  the  Talmud. 


BY    R»v.    H.    A.    HENRY, 

Rabhl  Prraehrr  of  Conptf»tloo  Shorfth  Tmd.  P«n  FniMbeo ;  Author  of  OM§  Book  for  Jrvkh    romh  : 

Of  DboOUfM*  OB  the  ptiAdplM  Of  U-  boltof  Of  IWWl.   *«.,   *C. 


SAN    FRANGISCO: 

It. \VNKfc   BACON,    PUBLISHERS   AND   PRINTERS, 

No.  12ft  Clay  Street,  corner  Sansome. 

1859. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  of  the  World  5819,-18W,  by 


for  the  Author,  to  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States, 
for  the  Northern  District  of  California. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


PREFACE. 


THE  design  and  purpose  of  this  little  production  will,  at  a 
cursory  glance,  be  self-evident,  so  that  a  formal  preface  seems 
scarcely  necessary.  We  have  endeavored  to  furnish  a  synopsis 
of  useful  information,  selected  from  the  history  and  teachings  of 
the  chosen  people  of  God,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  suit  the  capac- 
ity of  all  readers,  since  it  is  free  from  all  sectarian  bias,  and 
therefore  may  prove  useful  to  all  denominations. 

This  work  consists  of  two  parts.  The  first  part  contains  a 
synopsis  of  Jewish  history,  commencing  with  the  return  of  the 
Jews  from  the  Babylonish  captivity,  down  to  the  days  of  Herod 
the  Great.  The  second  division  of  the  work  contains  an  account 
of  the  several  sects  which  sprang  up  among  the  Jews  before  and 
after  the  days  of  the  Maccabees.  We  have  also  given  a  succinct 
description  of  the  origin  and  introduction  of  Prayer,  of  the  syna- 
gogues and  schools,  of  the  Ureem  and  Thumeem,  of  the  Mishna 
or  Oral  Law,  of  the  Gemara  or  Completion,  usually  styled  the 
Talmud,  together  with  some  additional  remarks  in  the  last  two 
chapters  under  the  head  of  appendix. 

Should  this  unassuming  little  composition  lead  the  reader  to 
seek  a  more  extended  information  on  the  subjects  treated,  we 
shall  feel  ourselves  happy  in  having  been  the  means  of  thus  excit- 
ing the  curiosity  of  those  who  desire  to  peep  a  little  further  into 


iv  PREFACE. 

the  vast  field  of  sacred  literature,  and  deem  our  compensation 
to  be  fully  realized. 

We  have  compiled  in  some  instances  from  the  writings  of 
others.  In  many  cases  we  have  also  thought  for  ourselves ;  but 
at  the  same  time,  we  have  embraced  the  advantages  afforded  by 
the  writings  of  others,  so  far  as  we  thought  them  suitable  for  the 
undertaking. 

In  conclusion,  we  send  this  work  out  to  the  world,  such  as  it  is, 
aware  of  its  many  deficiencies ;  trusting,  at  the  same  time,  that 
whatever  errors  may  have  crept  therein  will  be  pointed  out  by 
kind  friends,  in  order  to  a  rectification  of  the  same. 

SAX  FRANCISCO,  February,  1859—5619. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PACK. 

Of  the  return  of  tint  Jews  from  the  Captivity  of  Babylon,  and  the  rebuild- 
ing of  the  City  of  Jerusalem  and  the  Holy  Temple 9 


CHAPTER  II. 

Of  the  state  of  the  Jews  in  the  days  of  Ezra  the  Scribe i.s 

CHAPTER  III. 

Of  the  affairs  of  the  Jewish  Nation  during  the  day«  of  Nehemlah 2:» 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Of  the  state  of  the  Jewish  Nation  under  the  Persian  and  the  Grecian  Mon- 
archies     :t7 

CHAPTER  V. 

Of  the  affairs  of  the  Jewish  Nation  under  Ptolemy  Hoter,  Ptolcuiv  Phila- 
delphus  and  Ptolemy  Philopatcr,  Kings  of  Egypt 43 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Of  the  Jewish  affairs  under  Antlochus  the  Greek,  Seleucus,  and  Antiochus 
Eplphanea,  Kings  of  Syria 4-i 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Of  the  state  of  the  Jewish  Nation  in  the  days  of  Mattathias  the  Priest,  the 
father  of  the  valiant  Maccabees .65 


CONTENTS. 


ClIAl'TKR   VIII. 

The  Government  of  the  Jcwtah  Nation  uniler  tlie  Ma                        -  they 
were  otherwise  called,  the  Asmoncans,  this  being  the  family  mum w 

CHAPTER  IX 

Or  the  Jewish  affairs  under  the  conduct  of  the  posterity  and  successors  of 
Simon  the  Maccabee 7!i 

CHAPTER  X. 
Of  the  Government  of  Herod  the  Great  and  his  posterity  over  Israel w 

SECO3STID. 
CHAPTER  I. 

CHAPTER  II. 

The  Pharisee* 113 

CHAPTER  III. 

TheBadducecs 117 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Samaritans IM 

CHAPTER  V. 

TheKsscnes W 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Herodlans 125 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Galileans  or  Gaulonltes 127 

CHAPTER  VTJI. 

The  Karayeem  or  Karaites 129 


CONTENTS.  Vll 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Of  the  Synagogues  among  the  Jews 133 

CHAPTER  X. 

Of  the  origin  and  introduction  of  Prayer  among  the  Jews 138 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Of  the  Ureem  and  Thumeem 147 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Of  the  Mishn*  or  Oral  Law ...  . .  152 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
Of  the  Gemara-Completion,  usually  styled  the  Talmud 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Appendix ..  172 


CHAPTER   I. 

Of  the  Return  of  the  Jews  from  the  Captivity  of  Babylon,  and  the  Rebuilding 
of  the  City  of  Jerusalem  and  the  Holy  Temple. 

IN  fulfilment  of  the  prophecies  of  Jeremiah  and 
the  other  prophets,  Israel  and  Judah  were  carrie'd 
into  captivity  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  king  of  Babylon, 
in  the  days  of  Zedekiah,  the  last  king  of  Judah  ;  and 
as  predicted  by  the  prophets  of  the  Lord,  the  bond- 
age continued  during  seventy  years. 

This  banishment  was  inflicted  as  a  just  punishment 
on  the  people  for  their  repeated  misconduct  and  im- 
piety towards  the  Gracious  God,  and  for  their  direct 
opposition  to  the  constant  exhortations  and  unceasing 
\variiings  of  the  Almighty,  through  the  medium  of 
his  inspired  and  holy  prophets. 

The  seventy  years  of  captivity  being  ended,  God 
put  it  into  the  mind  of  Cyrus,  king  of  Persia,  again 
to  restore  Israel  to  their  own  land  and  possessions, 
thus  fulfilling  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah,  which  was 
pronounced  by  him  above  one  hundred  years  previ- 
ously. Accordingly  Cyrus  permitted  the  Jews  to 
return  to  Jerusalem  and  to  rebuild  the  temple.  He 
B 


10  SYNOPSIS    OF   JEWISH    HISTORY. 

also  restored  to  them  the  golden  and' silver  vessels 
which  were  used  for  divine  service  in  the  former 
temple  built  by  king  Solomon. 

Many  of  the  people  of  the  several  tribes  availed 
themselves  of  this  opportunity  to  return  to  the  land 
of  their  fathers — but  so  far  as  history  informs  us,  it 
appears  that  the  majority  of  those  who  returned  to 
Jerusalem,  consisted  chiefly  of  the  tribes  of  Judah 
and  Benjamin,  together  with  a  number  of  Priests  and 
Levites.  And  now  it  was  for  the  first  time,  that 
they  were  all  united  under  the  title  or  name  of  Jews. 

The  people  were  led  forth  under  the  direction  of 
Zerubbabel,  the  grandson  of  Jehoiachin,  kinj;  of 
Judah,  who  became  the  governor  of  the  land  by  a 
commission  granted  at  the  hands  of  king  Cyrus  ;  and 
Jeshua,  the  grandson  of  Seraiah,  who  was  slain  by 
Nebuchadnezzar,  was  installed  high  priest. 

The  people  having  returned  to  their  own"  land,  the 
first  thing  which  occupied  their  attention  was  the 
rebuilding  of  the  temple,  for  which  purpose  they  set 
about  making  collections,  both  of  money  and  mate- 
rials, and  gathering  themselves  together  at  Jerusalem, 
they  set  up  the  altar,  and  offered  sacrifices  thereon 
i tude  to  6od  for  his  goodness  in  thus  restoring 
them  to  their  own  country  and  possessions. 

When  the  foundation  of  the  new  temple  was  laid, 
great  rejoicings  took  place  among  the  people.  Yet, 
many  of  those  who  had  grown  old  in  the  captivity, 
ami  who  still  had  the  recollection  of  the  glory  and 
magnificence  of  the  first  temple,  mourned  and  grieved 
for  its  loss,  and  very  much  despaired  of  the  second 


RETURN  OF  THE  JEWS  FROM  BABYLON.      11 

temple  ever  approaching  the  first,  in  beauty,  splendor, 
or  holiness. 

The  building  of  the  second  temple  was  very  much 
interrupted  by  the  neighboring  people,  who  mani- 
fested great  enmity  toward  the  Jews,  and  evinced 
much  jealous  feeling,  when  they  saw  them  restored 
to  their  own  country,  and  thus  likely  to  recover  their 
long  lost  national  position  in  the  world. 

Yet,  notwithstanding  all  the  difficulties  which  pre- 
sented themselves,  and  in  spite  of  all  the  representa- 
tions made  by  their  enemies,  the  Jews  were  favored 
with  great  assistance  from  the  court  of  Persia,  in 
order  to  complete  their  noble  undertaking.  And 
then  it  was,  that  after  a  period  of  twenty  years  inter- 
rupted labor,  the  second  temple  rose  on  the  very 
same  spot  on  which  the  first  noble  fabric  had  adorned 
the  happy  days  of  the  royal  Solomon,  the  son  of 
king  David. 

In  the  days  of  Darius  Hystaspcs,  complaints  were 
made  by  the  enemies  of  the  Jews,  in  order  to  prevent 
them  from  continuing  the  building  of  the  temple. 
This  prince,  considering  the  interruption  to  be  the 
result  of  the  malicious  insinuations  of  the  Samaritans 
and  their  followers,  instituted  an  inquiry,  and  it  being 
found  on  record  at  Babylon  that  permission  had  been 
granted  to  the  Jews  by  Cyrus  to  rebuild  the  temple 
at  Jerusalem,  Darius  immediately  gave  orders  that 
the  work  should  be  continued  undisturbed.  And  in 
the  sixth  year  of  the  reign  of  Darius,  the  second 
temple  was  completed,  and  dedicated  for  divine 
worship.  Sacrifices  were  resumed,  and  offered  upon 


\'2  SYNOPSIS    OF   JEWISH    HISTORY. 

the  altar  of  the  Lord  as-  in  former  days.  Great 
rejoicings  prevailed,  and  the  festival  of  Passover  was 
in  that  year  solemnized  in  great  splendor,  and  with 
grateful  feelings  toward  the  God  of  their  fathers. 

Happy,  however,  as  the  people  appeared  to  be  in 
again  beholding  the  house  of  God  reared  and  dedi- 
cated to  his  holy  worship,  they  still  felt  and  saw  the 
deficiency  in  the  one,  when  compared  with  the  other ; 
for  it  must  be  observed,  that  in  the  second  temple  but 
few  of  the  glories  remained  which  had  adorned  the 
first  temple,  so  renowned  in  history  for  its  beauty, 
magnificence,  and  architectural  delicacy  and  elegance. 

The  temple  erected  by  king  Solomon  at  Jerusalem, 
was  built  after  the  model  of  the  tabernacle  erected 
in  the  wilderness.  This  superb  edifice  was  completed 
in  about  seven  years.  Its  grandeur  and  magnifi- 
cence excited  the  envy  and  the  curiosity  of  all  the 
surrounding  nations. 

The  glory  of  this'temple,  however,  did  not  consist 
in  the  magnitude  of  its  dimensions  alone.  The  main 
grandeur  and  excellency  were  in  its  ornaments,  the 
workmanship  being  everywhere  curiously  and  exquis- 
itely" wrought  by  the  most  expert  workmen  of  the 
day.  But  still  more  admirable  in  this  majestic  build- 
ing, were  those  extraordinary  works  of  divine  favor 
with  which  it  was  honored.  These,  indeed,  were 
excellencies  and  beauties  derived  from  a  divine 
source  only,  distinguishing  and  exalting  this  sacred 
structure  above-  all  others  of  mortal  invention. 

The  deficiencies  thus  complained  of  and  regretted, 


RETURN  OP  THE  JEWS  FROM  BABYLON.      13 

were  five  in  number,  which  formed  the  principal  and 
most  essential  ornaments  of  the  sacred  edifice. 

FIRST — The  ark  of  the  covenant,  and  the  mercy 
seat  upon  it ;  the  cherubim  of  gold,  aad  the  two 
tables  of  stone,  on  which  the  decalogue  was  inscribed 
by  the  finger  of  God.  These  were  all  in  their 
proper  places  in  the  first  temple  built  by  king  Solo- 
mon. It  is  the  generally  received  opinion  among 
the  learned  men  of  the  Jewish  nation,  that  there  was 
such  an  ark  made,  and  that  the  copy  of  the  five 
books  of  Moses,  called  the  Pentateuch — as  corrected 
and  revised  by  the  scribe  Ezra  —  was  deposited 
therein.  Hence,  it  is  in  imitation  of  this,  that  in 
the  present  day,  the  Jews  have  in  their  synagogues 
throughout  all  the  habitable  globe  wherever  dispersed, 
the  holy  ark  in  which  the  scroll  of  the  law  called  in 
Hebrew  "  Sepher  Torah,"  book  of  the  law,  is 
deposited. 

SECOND. — The  Shechinah,  divino  presence  mani- 
fested by  a  visible  cloud  of  glory  hovering  over  the 
mercy  seat. 

THIRD. — The  Ureem  and  Thumeem.  These  were 
two  sacred  signs  placed  in  the  breast-plate  of  judg- 
ment worn  by  the  high  priest,  who  made  use  of  these 
signs  to  consult  the  will  of  God,  and  to  ask  counsel 
of  him  on  such  momentous  occasions  touching  the 
public  interest  of  the  nation  at  large.  The  first  of 
these  words  signifies  in  the  Hebrew,  light ;  the 
second,  perfection.  Of  these  we  shall  have  to  speak 
more  fully  in  the  course  of  the  work. 

FOURTH. — The  sacred  fire  which  descended  from 


1  1  SYNOPSIS    OF   JEWISH    HISTORY. 

on  high  upon  the  altar,  to  consume  the  daily  sacri- 
fices and  burnt  offerings  brought  in  honor  of  the 
Lord  God  of  hosts. 

FIFTH. — .The  spirit  of  prophecy ;  for  though  the 
three  last  prophets,  Haggai,  Zachariah,  and  Malachi, 
lived  during  the  time  of  the  second  temple,  yet, 
after  their  death,  the  prophetic  spirit  ceased  to  exist 
any  longer  among  the  Jewish  nation. 


CHAPTER    II. 


Of  the  state  of  the  Jews  in  the  days  of  Ezra  the  Scribe. 

HKXCEFORWARD  we  are  not  to  look  on  the  Jews, 
free,  rich  and  glorious,  under  the  direction  of  Proph- 
ets and  warlike  Monarchs  ;  they  had  been  sold  as 
slaves  by  their  conquerors,  and  dispersed  throughout 
all  their  vast  and  mighty  Empires.  Some  few  of 
^;he  favored,  eminent  and  worthy  characters  obtained 
posts  of  honor,  who  distinguished  themselves  in  the 
discharge  of  those  duties  imposed  on  them  in  their 
several  appointments.  Of  the  great  number  bf 
the  people  who  had  been  carried  into  captivity, 
scarcely  more  than  fifty  thousand  returned  to  Jeru- 
salem, and  those  were  principally  of  the  poorer 
classes,  who,  it  must  be  noticed,  are  in  all  ages  the 
most  religious.  The  richer  portion  of  the  nation 
remained  behind — and,  as  proverbial  with  the  Jews 
for  their  charity  and  fellow  feeling,  they  raised 
among  themselves  a  subscription  sufficient  to  enable 
their  brethren  to  proceed  on  their  holy  pilgrimage. 

The  proposal  made  to  the  Jews  was,  that  they 
should  be  governed  by  their  own  laws  ;  but  as  they 


16  MNorSIS    OF   JEWISH    HISTORY. 

became  subject  to  Persia,  ami  subsequently  to  Syria 
ami  Rome,  their  privileges,  and  even  the  exercise  of 
their  religion,  greatly  depended  on  the  caj.rice  of 
their  several  conquerors.  Immediately  on  the  pub- 
lication of  the  edict,  the  Chief  of  the  tribes  of 
Judah  and  Benjamin  assembled  at  Babylon,  with  the 
Priests  and  1  as  many  who  retained  a 

love  for  their  country  and  a  zeaMbr  the  honor  of 
their  God,  were  disposed  to  return  to  that  once  happy 
land,  and  now  came  and  signified  their  intention  of 
returning.  The  wealthy  portion,  and  many  who 
formed  connections  with  them,  and  were  engaged  in 
traffic,  or  had  acquired  places  and  employments, 
chose  rather  to  stay  and  content  themselves  with 
raising  a  large  contribution  to  supply  their  brethren 
with  what  they  could  spare  of  gold,  silver,  and 
other  valuables  for  the  Temple.  » 

The  book  of  Ezra  informs  us  of  the  three  great 
and  pious  men  whom  God  raised  up  to  assist  the 
poor  Jews,  and  gives  us  some  particulars  of  their 
return  to  Jerusalem.  Zerubbabcl,  who  built  the 
Temple  and  *the  Altar ;  Ezra,  who  reformed  and 
re-established  the  sacred  religion  to  its  former  stand- 
ard, which,  during  the  captivity  had  undergone  many 
changes  and  innovations ;  as  the  people  were  not  in 
a  position  at  that  time  fully  to  observe  it,  as  it  was 
practised  in  the  palmy  days  of  their  Fathers ;  and 
Nehemiah,  who  built  the  walls  of  the  City,  and  ably 
assisted  Ezra  in  his  good  work  in  introducing  and 
ultimately  effecting  a  great  and  solid  improvement 
among  the  people.  This  book  embraces  a  period  of 


THE    JEWS    IN    THE    DAYS    OF    EZRA.  17 

about  one  hundred  and  forty-six  years,  and  the  acts 
thereof  were  accomplished  during  the  reigns  of  six 
successive  Persian  Monarchs,  viz :  Cyrus,  Darius, 
Ahasuerus,  Artaxerxes,  Darius  the  second,  and  a 
second  Artaxerxes.  About  eighty  years  after  their 
establishment,  Ezra  obtained  a  full  commission  from 
Artaxerxes  to  succeed  Zerubbabel,  the  present  Vice- 
roy, and  return  to  Jerusalem,  with  as  many  of  the 
nation  as  were  willing  to  go  with  him  ;  and  there  to 
regulate  and  reform  all  matters  of  Stifte,  and  restore 
the  worship  of  the  true  God  among  his  people  in 
the  city  of  Jerusalem. 

The  high  reputation  of  Ezra  in  the  Court  of 
Persia,  may  be  imagined  by  the  nature  of  the  com- 
mission granted  to  him  by  the  King,  who  addressed 
him  as  the  Priest  of  the  Law  of  the  God  of  Heaven ; 
and  declared  to  him  as  his  decree,  that  whosoever 
felt  desirous  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem  were  permitted 
to  do  so  freely  and  safely ;  and  furthermore,  that 
they  should  take  with  them  presents  direct  from  the 
King  himself,  as  a  proof  of  his  sanction  and  appro- 
bation. In  the  middle  of  March,  about  the  year  of 
the  World  3540,  Ezra  set  out  on  his  journey,  and 
pitched  his  tents  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Ahavah, 
where  he  waited  till  his  companions  had  assembled 
together,  from  whom  he  selected  a  number  of  Priests 
and  Levites  to  assist  him  on  the  journey. 

As  soon  as  Ezra  had  collected  about  him  a  large 
body  of  people,  he  issued  a  proclamation  for  a 
general  fast  and  days  of  thanksgiving,  to  implore 
tho  blessing  and  protection  of  God.  He  then  pro- 


18  SYNOPSIS    OF   JEWISH    HISTORY. 

cecded  on  hia  jouiney,  and  arrived  safely  with  all 
his  company  at  Jerusalem  in  the  middle  of  the  month 
of  July,  being  about  four  months  after  he  had  set 
out  for  Jerusalem. 

Having  arrived  at  Jerusalem,  Ezra  convened  all 
the  Elders  of  the  people,  before  whom  he  laid  o]>i-n 
his  Commission  and  had  it  publicly  read  to  all  the 
people.  He  then  delivered  up  to  the  Treasury  and 
the  Priests,  all  the  presents  which  hud  been  made 
by  the  Persiaa  Monarch  and  his  Nobility ;  also  the 
presents  of  those  Jews  who  preferred  to  remain  at 
Babylon. 

Ezra  then  appointed  Judges  and  Magistrates,  and 
gave  each  of  them  their  Commission,  empowering 
them  to  enforce  the  Laws  as  laid  down  for  the  gen- 
eral government  of  the  people. 

Ezra  maintained  the  supremo  authority  under  his 
Commission  from  the  Persian  Court,  during  thirteen 
years,  occupying  himself  with  the  faithful  discharge 
of  every  part  of  his  sacred  duty,  with  unfeigned  and 
pious  zeal  and  assiduity.  And  still  it  seems  that 
Ezra  had  not  power  or  influence  enough  fully  to 
accomplish  by  himself,  his  noble  and  praiseworthy 
enterprise. 

About  this  time  it  was  that  Nehemiah,  of  whom 
we  shall  speak  in  the  following  Chapter,  succeeded 
Ezra  as  Governor  or  Viceroy,  and  he  brought  with 
him  a  new  Commission,  with  fresh  power  and 
authority  from  the  Persian  Court. 

Ezra,  now  with  a  graceful  and  pious  conde- 
scension, assumed  a  subordinate  statipn.  He  acted 


THE  JEWS  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  EZRA.        19 

as  President  to  the  Sanhedrin,  the  Grand  Council  of 
the  Elders,  and  employed  the  whole  of  his  time  in 
reforming  the  Temple  service,  which  had  been  sadly 
abused  during  the  long  captivity,  and  succeeded  in 
restoring  all  its  former  rites  and  discipline.  He 
carefully  examined  all  the  sacred  Books,  revised  and 
corrected  them.  He  then  divided  and  fixed  the 
number  of  Books  to  twenty-four,  such  as  are  now  in 
use  among  the  Hebrew  Nation,  called  the  Old 
Testament.  Ezra  was  learned  and  well  versed  in 
them  all ;  his  high  station  and  authority  enabled 
him  to  collect  the  best  copies  from  which  to  take  the 
standard.  In  addition  to  all  this,  Ezra  being  himself 
inspired,  and  zealous  in  the  sacred  cause,  and 
favored  as  he  was  with  the  valuable  assistance  of 
the  three  later  Prophets,  Haggai,  Zachariah  and 
Malachi,  no  doubt  exists  in  the  hearts  of  the  Jewish 
Nation  that  the  Bible  now  in  their  possession,  is  the 
same  which  existed  in  the  days  of  the  great  Patriot 
i<»r  his  God  and  his  Religion,  the  inspired  Ezra. 

One  of  the  strongest  proofs  that  the  Jews  aro 
correct  in  this  respect  is,  that  recent  travelers  have 
stated  in  all  their  journals,  that  wherever  they  met 
with  Jews  and  their  Synagogues  .they  found  a  uni- 
formity in  the  Scroll  of  the  Law  as  read  in  the 
Jewish  Church  ;  besides,  if  we  take  into  our  con- 
sideration that  Moses  either  wrote  himself,  or  had 
written,  thirteen  copies  of  the  Pentateuch,  one  of 
which  he  gave  to  each  of  the  twelve  Tribes,  and 
the  other  he  deposited  in  the  Ark  to  remain  there, 
in  obcMlicnce  to  God's  command  in  Deuteronomy, 


20  SYNOPSIS  OF  .n:\visii   HtSTOftT. 

Chap,  xxxi:  26,  it  is  not  at  all  surprising  that  the 
Jews  have  the  original  law  in  their  possession,  as 
han  led  down  from  Moses,  the  Divine  Legislator. 

When  Nehemiah  was  established  in  his  new  Gov- 
ernment, Ezra  being  relieved  from  the  public  duties 
and  affairs  of  the  State,  now  employed  himself  in 
expounding  the  Scriptures  to  the  people,  from  morn 
till  noon ;  and  that  he  might  be  properly  heard  and 
understood,  he  had  a  platform  fixed  in  one  of  the 
widest  streets  in  the  City.  Ezra,  himself,  was  raised 
upon  the  middle  of  the  platform,  and  on  each  side  of 
him  stood  the  Priests,  who  .were  assistants  and 
interpreters;  and  as  Ezra  read  the  Law  in  the 
Hebrew,  the  Priests  explained  it  to  the  people  in 
the  Chaldee  language,  which  had  become  familiar  to 
them  ia  consequence  of  their  l&ng  sojourn  in  the 
great  City  of  Babylon.  In  thiS  way  it  was,  that  all 
the  people  of  the  Holy  City,  as  well  as  those  who 
came  from  very  distant  parts,  especially  on  the  Festi- 
vals and'Holy  days,  could  thus  have  the  Bible  and  the 
Law  explained  to  them,  and  their  duty  fully  recom- 
mended to  them  every  day,  or  at  least  regularly 
every  Sabbath. 

It  must  here  be  noticed,  that  all  those  Jews  who 
had  settled  themselves  in  Alexandria  arid  all  the 
Grecian  Provinces,  had  the  Bible  interpreted  to 
them  in  the  Greek  language,  after  that  the  ]>il>le 
had  been  translated  into  that  language.  From  this 
circumstance  it  arose  that  those  of  the  people  who 
used  the  Greek  language  in  the  Synagogues,  were 


THE    JEWS    IN    THE    DAYS    OF    EZRA.  21 

called  Hellenists,  to  distinguish  them  from  those 
who  continued  the  use  of  the  Chaldee  language. 

The  last  work  which-  Ezra  performed,  was,  the 
restoring  to  the  people  the  sacred  service  of  the 
Temple,  according  to  the  original  and  usual  form 
before  the  captivity.  He  revised  and  amended  the 
Jewish  Liturgy,  adding  many  new  prayers  and  forms 
of  Thanksgiving  composed  since  the  return  from 
Babylon,  on  the  blessings  of  Liberty  and  freedom 
from  bondage.  This  pious  and  truly  religious  man 
composed  also  the  service  used  at  the  dedication  of 
the  new  Temple ;  and  he  carefully  arranged  all 
the  Psalms  and  Hymns  chanted  on  that  occasion  by 
the  Priests  and  the  Levites,  in  the  house  of  God. 
Many  of  the  prayers  above  noticed,  are  still  extant 
among  the  Jewi-h  Nation,  of  which  we  shall  have 
to  speak  in  a  future  Chapter. 

Ezra  as  a  Priest,  a  Preacher  of  righteousness, 
and  a  skilful  Scribe  of  the  Law  of  God,  umveariedly 
continued  the  reformation  he  had  begun.  He  spent 
almost  the  whole  of  his  time  in  preparing  correct 
editions  of  the  Holy  Scripture — as  during  the  cap- 
tivity at  Babylon,  many  copies  had  been  lost,  and 
many  of  them  had  been  destroyed  by  the  enemy — 
those  which  remained  were  chiefly  in  the  hands  of 
private  individuals.  Ezra,  therefore,  carefully  ex- 
amined these  copies,  and  corrected  those  errors 
winch  may  have  been  made,  probably  through  the 
carelessness  of  the  various  transcribers. 

It  is  stated,  that  in  the  Church  of  Saint  Dominic, 
in  Bononia,  or  Bologna,  in  Italy,  there  is  a  copy  of 


12  SYNOPSIS    OF   .1 1.UIMI    HISTORY. 

the  Law,  kept  with  great  care,  said  to  be  written  by 
Eira  himself,  upon  leather  made  up  into  a  roll 
according  to  the  ancient  manner,  and  in  the  same 
form  as  used  now  among  the  Israelites  of  the  present 
day.  This  very  eminent,  pious  and  good  man,  may 
traly  be  said  to  be  a  second  founder  of  the  Jewish 
Church  and  State — a  character  highly  esteemed, 
honored  and  beloved— zealous  for  his  God,  and 
anxious  only  for  the  happiness  and  welfare  of  his 
people. 

Ezra  had  now  been  some  years  succeeded  by  his 
i.and  coadjutor  Nehemiah,  whom  K/.ra  had 
oriirmally  introduced  at  the  Court  of  Persia  :  ami  to 
whom  he  had  rendered  every  assistance  in  his  power 
to  enable  him  to  discharge  his  mission  with  credit  to 
himself,  and  satisfaction  to  the  Government  l»y  whom 
he  was  engaged. 

Ezra  continued  to  employ  the  remainder  of  his 
life  in  the  religious  affairs  of  his  Nation.  There  is 
some  doubt  entertained  as  to  the  place  where  he 
died — some  suppose  that  he  died  and  was  buri»-d  in 
Jerusalem — others  again  assert  that  in  his  old  a  in- 
returned  to  the  Court  of  Persia,  and  died  there 
at  the  advanced  age  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
years.  Ezra  brings  down  the  history  of  his  Nation 
to  the  twentieth  year  of  Ahasuerus,  the  then  reign- 
ing .King  of  Persia 


CHAPTER  -III. 

Of  the  affairs  of  the  Jewish  Nation  during  the  days  of  Xi-hoiniiih. 

This  great  and  good  man  stands  a  noble  example 
and  instance  of  a  zealous  and  disinterested  patriot 
in  the  cause  of  religion  and  its  Divine  author. 

Nehemiah  was  the  son  of  Ilechaliah,  who  was 
one  of  the  captive  Jews-  carried  in  early  life  to 
Shushan,  the  metropolis  of  Persia.  He  had  l>een 
fortunate  in  obtaining  an  appointment  in  the  Persian 
Court,  and  he  chose  rather  to  continue  in  his  office 
at  'Court,  than  to  return  with  his  countrymen  to 
Jerusalem. 

Nehemiah  was  born  at  Shushan.  He  was  a  man 
of  public  spirit,  learning  and  piety.  He  was  ap- 
pointed Cup-bearer  to  the  King  of  Persia.  In  this 
office  he  obtained  the  royal  favor,  which  made  him 
much  beloved  at  Court ;  and  he  thus  became  a  man 
of  great  influence,  and  in  the  possession  of  considera- 
ble wealth.  Nehemiah  had  never  seen  Jerusalem, 
although  his  ancestors  had  lived  and  died  there  ;  lie, 
however,  had  at  all  times  expressed  himself  kindly 
disposed  towards  his  brethren,  though  strangers  to 


SYNOPSIS    OF  JEWISH    HISTORY. 

him,  and  he  anxiously  wished  for  an  opportunity  to 
-e  the  influence  of  his  high  position  for  their 
benefit 

Nchemiah  was  taking  a  walk  one  t>\  onini:  near  Shu- 
shan,  and  seeing  some  travelers  who  a] -inured  to  be 
strangers  going  toward  the  city  gates,  curiosity  led 
him  to  listen  to  their  conversation,  which  was  held  in 
Hebrew,  lie  saluted  the  strangers,  an<l  en<niired  of 
them  from  what  country  they  came  ?  Jerusalem,  was ' 
the  reply.  Anxious  to  know  something  of  his  people, 
he  entered  deeply  into  conversation  with  the  stran- 
gers, and  earnestly  sought  all  the  information 
respecting  his  brethren  in  Jerusalem.  He  It  arm  -<1 
from  the  travelers  that  the  walls  of  the  City 
were  broken  down,  and  that  the  people  were  con- 
stantly being  annoyed  and  plundered  by  the  riotous 
banditti* who  infested  the  neighborhood;  that  there 
was  no  possibility  of  preventing  these  outrages,  and 
that  every  morning  the  roads  were  strewed  with  the 
dying  and  the  dead. 

Nehemiah  was  so  affected  at  the  account  of  this 
deplorable  situation  of  his  brethren,  that  he  burst 
forth  into  tears,  and  prayed  fervently  to  God  in 
their  behalf.  While  thus  engaged  and  agitated  in 
mind,  orders  came  from  the  Palace  informing  Nehe- 
miah that  the  King  demanded  his  presence.  The 
King  observing  sorrow  depicted  in  the  countenance 
of  his  favorite  Nehemiah,  enquired  the  cause,  in 
which  enquiry,  the  Queen  who  was  present,  also 
joined,  and  seemed  solicitous  to  know  the  reason  of 
his  apparent  grief.  The  King  kindly  asked  Nehe- 


THE  JEWS  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  NEHEMIAIT.  25 

miah  what  was  the  cause  for  sorrow  and  tears? 
Nehemiah,  encouraged  by  this  favorable  opportunity, 
explained  to  the  King  the  cause  of  his.  grief,  and 
related  to  him  that  which  he  had  previously  heard 
from  the  passing  travelers.  He  then  stated  to  the 
King  that  Jerusalem  was  the  City  of  his  ancestry  ; 
that  the  walls  and  gates  were  broken  down  by  its 
enemies,  and  that  all  its  inhabitants  were  being 
murdered  by  the  robbers  who  infested  the  place. 
Nehemiah  closed  his  sorrowful  tale  by  presenting  a 
petition  to  the  King,  praying  that  he  might  be  com- 
missioned to  go  to  Jerusalem,  and  be  empowered  to 
repair  the  walls  of  the  City. 

The  King  in  reply,  said  to  Nehemiah,  "  Dry  up 
your  tears  and  be  cheerful ;  your  petition  shall  be 
granted,  and  an  order  shall  be  given  to  assist  you  in 
your  noble  and"  praiseworthy  undertaking."  The 
King  then  issued  out  immediate  orders  to  Sanballat, 
and  other  officers  of  his  Court,  to  furnish  Nehemiah 
with  money  from  the  Royal  Treasury,  and  every 
necessary  material  to  carry  out  the  proposed  object. 
Nehemiah  overflowing  with  joy  and  gratitude,  fell 
down  on  his  face  and  poured  out  his  soul  in  thanks 
and  praises  to  his  Monarch  for  his  inimitable  good- 
ness towards  himself  and  his  people.  The  King 
then  granted  to  Nehemiah  leave  of  absence  from 
the  Court,  to  fulfil  the  mission  he  had  thus 
undertaken. 

Nehemiah  set  out  immediately,  for  Babylon,  and 
took  with  him  a  sufficient  number  of  men  to  accom- 
pany him  on  his  journey,  together  with  a  troop  of 


•I'SIS    OF -.n: Wisn    HISTORY. 

which  the  King  had  given  hhy  as  an  escort. 
Thus  equipped,  Nehemiah  and  all  his  company 
arrived  safely  at  the  Holy  City,  Jerusalem.  He 
he/e  shut- himself  up  three  whole  days  in  religious 
.devotion  and  pious  meditation.  The  three  days 
being  ended,  Nchomiah  went  forth  towards  evening 
to  examine  the  Citv  and  its  walls.  The  ivport  he 
had  received  from  the  travelers  whom  he  saw  at 
Shushan,  proved  to  he  quite  true. 

.:  day  Nehemiah  assemhled  all  the  Klders 
and  heads  of  the  people,  and  made  known  to  them 
his  commission,  and  likewise  his  object  in  coming  to 
Jerusalem.  He  then  requested  their  co-operation, 
in  order  to  fulfil  the  task  he  had  imposed  upon  him- 
self. The  people  readily  assented  to  all  which  the 
good  man  proposed  to  them,  and  thus  enabled  him 
to  complete  the  work  in  repairing  and  fortifying  the 
walls.  He  engaged  a  numerous  body  of  inechanies 
and  their  families,  and  diligently  presided  daily  over 
the  work  himself,  until  the  whole  was  completed. 

The  work  being  ended,  and  all  in -good  order, 
uiah  with  true  piety  arid  religious  zeal,  caused 
a  Dedication  to  be  solemnized  by  the  Priests  and  the 
Levites,  in  gratitude  to  Almighty  God,  by  whose 
mighty  power  and  parental  care  alone,  the  people 
had  thus  far  gained  a  victory  over  their  unrelenting 
persecutors'. 

In  the  execution  of  this  work,  Nehemiah  exhibited 
great  courage,  and  exposed  himself  to  many  dangers 
and  insults.  He  kept  a  body  guard  about  him  to 
protect  him  from  the  attacks  of  the  enemy,  and 


THE  JEWS  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  NEHEMIAH.     27 

personalty  superintended  the  building  of  the  walls. 
He  made  the  laborers  work  in  armour ;  both  th€ 
mason  and  his  man  carried  swords,  with  shields  lying 
at  their  side,  while  trumpeters  were  placed  at  certain 
distances,  to  sound  the  alarm  at  the  approach  of  the 
enemy.  Nehemiah  was  once  told  of  a  conspiracy 
formed  against  him,  by  assassins  who  had  determined 
to  kill  him,  and  his  friends  advised  him  to  take  refuge 
in  the  Temple,  but  Nehemiah  nobly  replied : 
"  Should  such  a  man  as  I  flee  ?  Who  is  there, 
being  as  I  am,  would  go  into  the  Temple  to  save  his 
life?  I  will  not  go  in!" 

The  walls  of  the  City  having  been  finished,  which 
was  the  extent  of  the  Commission  granted  to  Nehe- 
miah, he  went  back  to  Shushan  to  obtain  further 
orders ;  and  during  his  temporary  absence,  lie 
entrusted  the  care  of  his  Government  and  the  City, 
to  two  of  his  brothers. 

On  the  return  of  Nehemiah  to  Jerusalem,  he  set 
about  fortifying  the  City,  and  beautifying  the 
Temple.  It  was  at  this  time  that  Ezra  the  Scribe 
delivered  his  public  Lectures,  as  related  in  the 
history  of  that  great  man. 

Nehemiah  zealously  and  diligently  corrected  all* 
the  abuses  and  disorders  in  the  State,  as  fur  as  his 
influence  and  authority  enabled  him.  lie  now  culled 
upon  all  the  people  for  contributions- to  beautify  und 
adorn  the  Temple,  and  for  the  support  of  its  service  ; 
and  in  order  to  set  a  good  example,  he  very  liberally 
gave  from  his  own  purse  a  thousand  drachms  of 
gold,  fifty  dishes,  and  two  hundred  and  fifty-two 


28  SYNOPSIS    OF   JEAVIMl    HISTORY. 


dresses  for  the  Priests.  He  further  arranged  that 
flie  Priests  and  the  Levites  should  be  near  the 
Temple,  so  that  they  should  at  all  times  be  regular 
in  their  attendance  at  Divine  Worship ;  for  which 
purpose,  Nehemiah  had  houses  built  in  the  imme- 
diate neighborhood  of  the  Temple. 

Nehemiah  kept  a  princely  table,  a  splendid  equip- 
age, and  a  train  of  servants,  altogether  at  his  own 
ense — exacting  no  tribute  whatever  from  any  one, 
but  pviiiLr  himself  liberally,  wherever  it  was  required. 
Thus  with  the  highest  honor,  credit  and  generosity, 
'  he  completed  the  period  of  his  Commission. 

Nehemiah  had  now  presided  as  Governor  during 
twelve  years ;  and  therefore,  according  to  his  prom- 
ise, he  returned  to  the  Court  of  Persia.  After  five 
years  residence  at  Shushan,  Nehemiah  obtained 
permission  to  return  to  Jerusalem,  and  resume  his 
office  as  Governor.  On  his  return  he  found  great 
depravity  and  corruption  among  the  people,  both  in 
the  Church  and  the  State.  The  people  had  sadly 
neglected  the  service  in  the  Temple — they  had 
profaned  the  Sabbath  by  making  it  a  day  of  traffic, 
and  following  their  usual  avocations  as  on  the  other 
Mays  of  the  week. 

Nehemiah  immediately  assembled  all  the  Mag- 
istrates and  other  ojpcers  of  the  State,  and  severely 
rebuked  them  for  suffering  the  people  to  commit  such 
outrages  against  their  Holy  Religion.  He  then 
ordered  that  the  gates  should  be  closed  on  every 
Friday,  from  sun  set,  until  Saturday  ev.enjng  after 
dark — by  which  "means  all  traffic  was  suspended — 


THE  JEWS  IN  THE   DAYS  OF  NEHEMIAH.  29 

and  then  it  was,  that  the  people  were  again  brought 
into  the  practice  of  keeping  the  Sabbath  Holy,  and 
abstaining  from  all  worldly  matters  during  that 
sacred  day. 

Nehemiah  strenuously  persisted  in  his  good  work, 
by  enforcing  the  observance  of  the  Mosaic  Law 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land ;  he 
had  Lectures  delivered  daily  in  Jerusalem,  in  the 
hearing  of  all  the  people,  and  the  Pentateuch  ex- 
pounded in  a  language  familiar  to  all  the  people. 
This  practice  was  first  carried  out  in  the  open  streets, 
(as  already  noticed  in  the  former  Chapter,)  or  in 
the  public  market  places,  as  found  most  convenient, 
until  such  time  when  arrangements  could  be  made 
for  the  establishment  of  Schools  and  Synagogues 
suitable  for  such  purposes.  These  Schools  were, 
however,  not  built  nor  in  full  action  until  some  time 
after  the  death  of  this  venerable  and  pious  man. 

Nchemiah  is  supposed  to  be  the  last  Governor  of 
the  Jews  sent  from  the  Court  of  Persia.  The 
Government  of  Judea  was  afterwards  conducted  by 
the  High  Priests,  till  the  days  when  Alexander  the 
Great  had  totally  ruined  the  Persian  Empire. 
Nehemiah  lived  till  he  became  very  far  advanced 
in  years,  happy  in  the  love  of  his  people,  and  in  the 
success  of  his  honest  and  disinterested  labors. 
He  recorded  his  own  history,  in  which  his  name  is  * 
transmitted  to  posterity  with  delight  to  all  who  read 
of  his  zeal,  and  his  religious  devotion  to  the  welfare 
and  improvement  of  his  poor  suffering  brethren  in 
Jerusalem. 


SYNOPSIS    OF   .IK WISH    HISTORY. 

This  truly  pious  and  zealous  patriot  had  hi* 
recompense  in  this  world,  by  the  satisfaction  lie  had, 
in  seeing  his  good  work  carried  out  according  to  his 
ardent  wishes  and  anxious  desires.  He,  together 
with  his  cotemporary,  the  good  Ezra,  of  whom  AVC 
d ready  spoken,  were  devoted  to  the  cause  of 
true  religion ;  they  were  not  actuated  by  any 
worldly  selfishness,  or  literary  fame,  for  they  only 
endeavored  to  restore  the  people  to  the  original  pure 
:  the  Temple,  such  as  was  commanded  and 
practised  by  Moses  and  the  Elders,  and  the  subse- 
quent generations,  without  any  attempt  on  their 
part  to  introduce  new  laws  for  the  government  <>{' 
the  Synagogue  or  Temple  worship ;  and  hence  they 
succeeded  in  their  noble  and  pious  undertaking. 
A  bright  example  to  all  those  whom  God  Almighty 
in  his  wisdom  may  be  disposed  to  select  as  Priests  or 
Chiefs  over  the  people,  to  see  that  naught  but  the 
true  spirit  of  religion  be  preached  and  practised 
among  the  people,  to  the  honor  and  glory  of  Him 
wb»  so  graciously  condescended  to  give  his  people  a 
code  of  laws  for  their  guidance  and  instruction,  in 
every  stage  of  existence.  Nehemiah  has  trans- 
mitted a  name  and  reputation  to  all  generations, 
more  honorable  and- durable  than  the  Grecian  Pillar, 
or  ^Jie  Roman  Statue.  His  liberality,  disinterested- 
ness, courage  and  industry — his  affectionate  feelings 
and  love  for  his  country — will  live  in  the  hearts  of  his 
people  forever  and  ever. 

Before  we  close  this  Chapter,  we  must  briefly 
notice  some  events  of  deep  interest  and  importance 


THE  JEWS  IN  THE  DAYS   OF  NEHEMIAH.  31 

to  the  Jews,  which  took  place  in  Persia,  during  the 
days  of  Nehemiah.  In  the  third  year  of  the  reign 
of  Ahasuerus,  King  of  Persia,  the  whole  Nation  of 
the  Jews  were  in  great  danger  of  being  destroyed 
through  the  wicked  misrepresentations  of  a  haughty 
and  irtfperious  Minister  of  the  Persian  Court ;  this 
was  Haman,  a  descendant  of  Amalek,  who  was  at 
all  times  a  dire  enemy  of  the  Jewish  race.  The 
malicious  designs  of  this  crafty  Amalekite,  were 
frustrated  by  the  inscrutable  ways  of  an  all-wise 
Providence,  who  never  forsakes  the  good  and'  the 
just,  in  the  hour  of  distress.  The  King  of  lYr-iu 
made  a  great  Feast  for  his  Captains  and  nobles, 
after  which,  he  made  another  Feast  for  all  the 
people  who  were  found  in  the  Metropolis  of  Shu- 
shan.  On  the  seventh  day  of  this  banquet,  the 
King  commanded  his  Queen  Vashti  to  appear  in  the 
grand  chamber  before  all  the  company  who  v 
then  assembled.  It  being  contrary  to  the  laws  of 
lYrsia  for  ladies  to  be  seen  in  public  assemblies,  the 
Queen  refused  to  do  the  King's  bidding.  This 
refusal  of  the  Queen  greatly  incensed  the  King ;  and 
having  consulted  his  Council  as  to  the  mode  neces- 
sary to  be  adopted  on  this  occasion,  the  King  at 
their  advice,  removed  Vashti  from  the  Court,  and 
deprived  her  of  all  her  regal  glory.  When  the 
King  began  to  reflect  on  his  hasty  decree,  he  became 
disconsolate,  and  sorely  regretted  the  loss  of  his 
favored  Vashti.  His  friends  and  counsellors  seeing 
this  change  in  the  King's  manners,  divined  the 
cause,  and  endeavored  to  divert  him  therefrom,  by 


32  OPSI8    OF   JEWI>1I    HISTORY. 

advising  and  recommend  inn;  him  to  select  for  himself 
another  Queen,  in  the  place  of  Vashti.  The  Kin-, 
on  reflection,  approved  the  advice,  and.  accordingly 
issued  a  Commission,  throughout  all  his  dominions, 
to  select  the  most  celebrated  beauties  that  could  in- 
found,  and  present  them  at  court,  from  whom  the 
Kin-;  might  select  one  as  his  future  Queen. 

Among  the  many  ladies  thus  presented  to  the 
Persian  Monarch,  was  a  beautiful  Jewess,  nflmed 
Esther,  an  orphan  of  both  parents.  She  was  brought 
up  and  educated  under  the  kind  care  of  her  cousin 
Mordecai,  a  man  of  rank  among  the  Jews,  who 
was  at  that  time  living  in  the  Capital  of  Persia. 

The  King,  on  seeing  Esther,  was  so  charmed  with 
her  personal  appearance,  the  elegance  of  her  deport- 
ment, and  her  exquisite  beauty,  that  he  immediately 
resolved  to  crown  her  as  the  future  Queen  of  Persia ; 
and  accordingly  in  the  seventh  ye;ir  «»f  his  reiirn, 
the  nuptials  were  celebrated  in  great  pomp  and 
magnificence. 

Esther  now  being  at  the  Palace  of  the  Persian 
rdecaT considered  it  his  duty  to  be  m -ur 
her,  in  order  to  watch  over  her  as  he  did  in  the  <i 
of  her  youth — and  for  this  purpose  he  took  \\\>  his 
station  in  one  of  the  King's  gates.  This  enabled 
him  to  know  all  that  was  passing,  without  being  par- 
ticularly observed  by  those  who  frequented  the 
Court.  About  this  time  a  conspiracy  was  formed 
nst  the  life  of  the  King,  by  two  of  his  attendants. 
M'»rdecai,  having  discovered  the  plot,  made  known 
the  same  to  the  King  ;  an  investigation  took  place, 


THE  JEWS  IN  THE  DAYS    OF  NEHEMIAII.  33 

and  the  charge  being  fully  sustained,  the  criminals 
were  both  executed,  and  the  facts  registered,  in  the 
Persian  records  ;  but  no  other  reward  was  given  to 
Mordecai  for  his  services. 

The  King's  Prime  Minister,  Ilaman,  had  con- 
tracted a  strong  antipathy  against  Mordecai,  who 
refused  to  .pay  homage  to  him  in  the  manner  he  hud 
exacted  from  all  the  King's  household.  Not  content 
to  punish  Mordecai  alone,  for  his  supposed  want  of 
respect  to  Hainan's  dignity,  he  resolved  to  extir- 
pate the  whole  race  from  off  the  face  of  the  earth  ; 
and  in  order  to  accomplish  this  atrocious  design,- 
Haman  represents  to  the  king  that  the  Jews  were  a 
people  different  from  the  rest  of  the  king's  subjects, 
and  very  disobedient  to  his  laws.  The  king  relying 
on  the  truth  of  the  statement  made  by  his  favorite 
minister,  and  he  offering  to  pay  into  the  king's 
treasury  10,000  talents  of  silver  to  pay  necessary 
expenses,  the  king  gave  him  the  power  to  do  as  he 
thought  proper ;  and  Haman  accordingly  appointed 
a  day  for  the  total  extermination  of  the  whole  Jewish 
nation.  This  affair  took  place  in  the  twelfth  year  of 
the  king's  reign,  and  about  five  years  after  Ezra 
had  received  his  commission  to  go  to  Jerusalem. 

Up  to  this  period,  none  knew,  not  even  the  king 
himself,  that  queen  Esther  was  a  Jewess,  for  her 
cousin  Mordecai  had  particularly  enjoined  her  not  to 
divulge  her  kindred,  nor  her  nation.  Strictly  did 
Esther  obey  her  cousin  in  everything  that  he  con- 
jured her  ;  and  the  result  was  that  her  obedience  to 
lii in,  who  was  her  second  father  and  her  natural 
c 


"i    ,i!  \\  i-i! 


^uunlian,  proved  to  be  .•.ributinu;  i-au.-v 

of  he;  :ii£  the  Sole   instrument  in  preventing 

her  nation  tVoia  1  :y  externnniiu-d. 

all    that    had   passed   in 

:;co  to  this  decree,  sent  a  in.  [ueen 

r  of  aH   that  had  oecunvd,  and 

tiiii  her   to  ^>  to  :  ;ind  petition  him  to 

u   hearing   thj 

news  felt  sorely  grirved,  and   was  at  a  l«ss  ln»w  to 

.  that  the  laws  of  the  Medes 

onli- 

on,  on 

hin_r   th«-   Ki!i_r   without 

ealled  to  .-3  he  should  emide- 

nal  <>f 

loasure.  lessago   to   her 

cousiii  .  •  him  th 

such  an  undcrt         ;;   to  which  he  rcpl'n-d,  that  it 
was  not  her  own  personal  safety  that  was  in  «pi 

•urity  of  a  whole  race,  wh<>  \\rn-  unjustly 
condemned  to  perish  hy  the  vilr  artilies  -.s  «•!'  an  arro- 
gant and  aiuhi;'  •-  feeling  the  !; 

inade  to  herhy  Monh- 
:he  risk  of  her  own  liie,  to  save  her  }»« 
and  to  her  great  joy  and  ast  t,  tlie  ui- 

the  king  beheld  her  in  the  court,  he  kindly  extended 
the  sign  of  mercy,  and  r  a  favorable  recep- 

tion.   Esther,  encourage*  1  by  thi- 

her  husband  the  intentions   and   plot  of 

ndemned  t(> 
death.  -  dccai  was  favorably  admitted  into  the 


THE  JEWS  IN  THE   DAYS  OF  NEHEMIAH.  35 

king's  household  as  the  relative  of  the  queen.  The 
king,  by  another  royal  edict,  published  throughout 
all  his  dominions,  that  the  Jews  should  be  empowered 
on  the  day  named  by  Haman  for  their  destruction, 
to  stand  on  their  own  defense ;  and  as  this  decree 
became  known  all  over  the  land  to  be  the  real  wishes 
of  the  sovereign,  and  Hainan  being  no  more,  it  pro- 
ved serviceable  to  the  poor  Jews,  and  fully  answered 
all  that  could  have  been  expected ;  but  yet,  not 
without  great  slaughter  among  the  people  during  the 
various  conflicts  and  battles  which  took  place  on  the 
day  appointed.  In  these  conflicts,  the  Jews  stand- 
ing only  on  their  own  defense,  slew  upwards  of 
severity-five  thousand  of  their  enemies,  who  rose  up 
against  them.  It  is  in  commemoration  of  this  signal 
deliverance  from  their  enemies,  that  the  feast  of 
1'uriin  is  celebrated  annually  among  the  Jews  through- 
out the  world. 

Without  referring  to  any  particular  cause,  there 
is  no  doubt  that  the  influence  of  Esther,  and  that  «>f 
Mordecai,  who  became  high  in  honor,  and  a  favorite 
at  the  court  of  Persia,  must  have  proved  very  bene- 
ficial to  the  Jews  in  general,  and  especially  those 
who  were  in  Jerusalem.  Mordecai  being  now  in 
power,  promoted  all  his  kindred  to  posts  of  honor, 
dignity  and  emolument ;  and  through  his  influence, 
many  of  his  countrymen  became  wealthy  and  pros- 
perous. Here  we  may  observe  how  the  overruling 
providence  of  God  is  signally  displayed.  Mordecai 
retained  his  influence  with  the  king,  being  the  next 
in  the  administration  ;  he  was  beloved  and  revered 


36  SYNOPSIS   OF  JEWISH    HISTORY. 

by  all  his  brethren,  whose  happiness  and  welfare  were 
his  constant  study. 

It  is  stated,  that  in  a  place  called  Amdam,  in 
Persia,  the  tombs  of  both  Mordecai  and  Esther  are 
still  to  be  seen,  and  are  highly  prized  by  all  the 
Jews  living  in  Persia  and  the  adjacent  countries. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Of  the   stato  of  the  Jewish  Nation   under  the-  Persian  and  the   Grecian 
Monarchies. 

After  the  death  of  Nehemiah,  Judea  became  sub- 
jected to  those  whom  the  Kings  of  Persia  made 
Governors  of  Syria.  These  governors  placed  the 
regulation  of  affairs  under  the  control  of  the  high 
priest,  who  had  all  the  sacred  authority,  as  well  as 
civil  power,  vested  in  him,  but  still  he  was  under  the 
direction  of  the  governor  of  Syria.  This  arrange- 
ment, however,  was  frequently  interrupted  by  the 
different  governors  and  princes,  from  time  to  time, 
who  occasionally  appointed  other  persons,  not  of  the 
family  of  the  priests,  to  officiate  in  such  sacred  office. 

It  is  recorded  in  the  book  of  Nehemiah,  that 
when  Johannan,  the  son  of  Jehoiada,  had  been  in 
possession  of  the  royal  priesthood  during  many 
years,  Bagoses,  the  governor  of  Syria,  appointed 
Jeshua  the  younger  brother  of  Johannan  to  depose 
him,  and  take  the  priesthood  to  himself.  This 
caused  considerable  disturbance  and  dissatisfaction ; 
a  tumult  arose  in  the  inner  court  of  the  Temple,  and 
Jeshua  was  slain  there  by  his  brother. 


38  >i»sis  OF  JEWISH  HISTORY. 

Bagoses,  the  governor  of  Syria,  incensed  at  such 
opposition  to  hi<  \ie\\  >.  immediately  entered  the 
inner  court  of  the  Temple,  in  defiance  of  tlic  re- 
monstrance of  '  .  \\lio  explained  t«>  him  that 
he  was  unclean,  and  therefore  unfit  to  enter  the-  holy 
edifice.  In  reply,  Bagoses  proudly  remarked  M  that 
he  was  purer  than  the  dead  carcass  of  him  whom 
they  had  slain  there  :"  and  a*  a  punishment  tor  this 
outrage,  he  imposed  a  heavy  fine  for  every  lamb  that 
was  offered  throughout  the  year. 

About  this  period  the  Jews  were  most  miracu- 
lously saved  from  the  threatened  oppression  ami 
resentment  of  Alexander  the  Great,  king  of  Mace- 
donia, in  '  sho  had  marched  toward  the  city 
•in  \\ith  a  powerful  army,  determined  to 
t  the  people  for  refusing  to  assist  him  in  the 
siege  of  Tyre. 

At  the  time  when  Alexander  declared  war  against 
the  people  of  Tyre,  they  were  so  wholly  occupied  ai 
merchants  that  they  had  entirely  neglected  all  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  and  consequently  had  to  be  supplied 
with  provisions  by  their  immediate  neighbors.  Judea 
was  at  this  time  the  place  from  which  they  were 
mostly  furnished  with  all  that  they  required.  Alex- 
ander was  necessarily  compelled  to  seek  provisions 
from  the  same  source,  and  accordingly  sent  his 
orders  to  that  effect.  The  Jews  had  previously 
declared  their  allegiance  to  Darius,  and  considered 
that  they  were  bound  in  faith  not  to  acknowledge 
any  new  power  during  his  lifetime,  and  therefore 
refused  to  obey  tjie  command  of  the  proud  Mace- 


JEWS  UNDER  PERSIAN  AND   CREEK  MONARCIIS.     39 

donian.  Alexander,  being  then  in  the  zenith  of  his 
gl'»ry,  having  been  so  eminently  successful  in  his 
late  wars,  considered  that  every  nation  was  bound  to 
submit  to  him,  and  that  he  durst  not  be  contradicted. 
The  refusal  of  the  Jews  in  this  respect,  greatly 
incensed  Alexander ;  he  marched  towards  Jerusa- 
lem determined  to  punish  the  Jews,  as  he  had  the 
Syrians,  for  not  obeying  his  commands*  The  Jews, 
fearing  the  consequences  of  the  Emperor's  pow.-r, 
which  was  certainly  great  at  that  time,  iVlt  severely 
the  dilemma  into  which  they  were  thus  innocently 
involved  :  and  as  usual  wilh  the  chosen  people  of  » i"d 
when  in  distress  they  hud  no  other  course  to  adopt 
but  to  rely  on  the  protection  of  Him  who  hud  at  all 
tiuh  i.'d  to  their  call,  in  the  hour  of  trouble. 

For  this  purpose  all  Jerusalem  w<  :    to- 

,'.T  in  prayer  and  supplication,  and  ollering  addi- 
tional sacrifices  in  the  Temple — imploring  the  mercy 
of  Clod  in  their  great  distress.  The  high  priest 
then  gave  instructions  that  the  gates  of  the  city 
should  be  thrown  open,  and  that  all  the  priests  should 
be  clad  in  their  official  robes,  (he  himself  being  atti- 
red in  his  pontifical  habiliments,)  and  that  all  the 
elders  and  heads  of  the  nation  should  go  forth  to 
meet  the  conqueror  in  grand  procession.  On  the 
approach  of  Alexander  to  the  city,  and  beholding 
this  imposing  scene,  he  was  smitten  with  profound 
awe  and  religious  veneration,  lie  saluted  the  high 
priest  and  tenderly  embraced  him — entered  the  city 
in  the  most  friendly  manner,  declaring  himself  the 
friend  and  protector  of  Israel.  The  Syrians  and 


40  >1*S1S    OF   JEWISH    HISTORY. 

Phoenicians,  who  being  tho  enemies  of  the  Jews, 
were  in  expectation  that  the  Emperor  would  wivuk 
ngeance  on  them  and  destroy  them  as  In-  had 
those  of  Tyre,  surprised  and  disappointed  at  this  sud- 
den change  of  the  Emperor's  conduct,  naturally 
enquired  into  the  cause  ;  to  which  Alexander  replied, 
that  while  at  Macedonia  he  had  a  dream,  in  which 
he  saw  the  figure  of  the  same  hi_rh  j.rie.-t,  div 
his  sacerdotal  robes,  encouraging  him  to  pursue  his 
expedition  against  the  Persians,  and  promising  him 
success ;  which  was  fully  realized  beyond  his  most 
sanguine  expectations.  In  the  person  of  the  present 
high  priest,  he  saw  the  same  figure  \\hich  had  ap- 
peared to  him  at  Dio,  and  therefore  he  concluded 
that  his  success  was  mainly  attributable  to  th 
of  God ;  and  that,  in  the  person  of  the  high  priest, 
he  paid  adoration  to  God  in  gratitude  for  the  favor 
thus  conferred  upon  him. 

\ander,  thus  pacified,  enquired  'of  the  Jews 
what  favor  they  had  to  ask  of  him,  which  was  in  his 
power  to  grant ;  to  which  they  replied,  the  privilege 
of  being  governed  by  their  own  laws,  and  to  have 
no  obstruction  in  following  the  religion  of  their  fore- 
fathers, which  was  more  dear  to  them  than  all 
worldly  distinctions.  This  request  was"  accordingly 
granted;  and  further,  as  a  mark  of  Alexander's 
favor,  they  were  to  be  exempt  from  paying  tribute  or 
taxes  during  the  seventh  year,  because  in  that  year 
they  neither  sowed  nor  reaped  their  land. 

Alexander  then  requested  the  high  priest  to  have 
a  golden  image  of  his  likeness  placed  between  the 


JEWS  UNDER  PERSIAN  AND  GREEK  MONARCHS.    41 

porch  and  the  altar,  as  a  memorial  of  his  visit. 
The  high  priest  in  reply  to  the  Emperor,  explained  to 
him  that  according  to  the  Jewish  law,  it  was  forbidden 
to  have  any  image  or  likeness  set  up  in  the  house  of 
God,  which  was  exclusively  devoted  to  the  worship 
of  Him  who  is  the  sole  ruler"  of  the  universe.  But, 
said  the  high  priest,  we  will  make  a  greater  memo- 
rial for  you,  which  shall  descend  to  ages  yet  to 
come ;  that  all  the  male  children  which  shall  be 
born  unto  the  priests  during  the  coming  year,  shall 
be  named  after  your  imperial  majesty,  in  honor  of 
your  illustrious  condescension  and  clemency  on  this 
momentous  occasion. 

The  king  expressed  himself  highly  pleased  with 
this  promise  of  the  high  priest,  and  in  token  of  his 
approbation  presented  a  considerable  amount  of  gold 
for  the  use  of  the  Temple  service.  Alexander  then 
retired,  -well  satisfied  with  all  that  -had  transpire! : 
and  on  leaving  the  Temple,  he  declared  in  a  very 
fervent  tone,  "  Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  Israel, 
the  God  of  this  house." 

Alexander,  on  leaving  Palestine,  marched  into 
Egypt,  over  which  he  made  an  easy  conquest,  as  the 
people  having  heard  of  his  success,  immediately 
surrendered ;  and  thus  he  became  master  of  that 
country.  He  built  the  city  of  Alexandria,  and 
peopled  it  with  different  nations,  among  whom  were 
many  Israelites,  "who  enjoyed  the  same  privileges 
with  the  rest  of  his  subjects. 

In  the  following  spring,  Alexander  became  perfect 
master  of  the  whole  of  the  Persian  Empire ;  he  then 
c* 


42  SYNOPSIS    OF   JEW! Ml    HISTORY. 

made  war  with  India  and  concurred  it.     Elated  with 

-s  in  all  his  enterprises,  he  indulged  in  all  the 

96fl  of  life,  and  within  five  years  from  this  time 

he  died  from  the  effects  produced  by  sueh  an  extrav- 

mode  of  life.     A  short  time  after  his  death, 

the  Empire  was  divided* among  four  of  Alexander's 

generals,  and  then  the  Jewish  nation  fell  into  the 

of  Ptolemy   Soter,  who  became  master  of 

Egypt,  Arabia,  Gael  Syria,  and  Palestine  of  Judea, 

these  countries  being  his  share  of  the  division  of  the 

Empire  of  Alexander. 

The  kings  of  Egypt  and  Syria  being  constantly  at 
war  with  each  other,  and  desirous  of  rnlaririm: 
their  dominions,  the  Jews  were  at  a  loss  whose  cause 
to  support,  as  they  were  called  upon  by  all  parties. 
This  placqfi  them  in  extreme  difficulties,  being  in 
danger  on  both  sides,  and  consequently 'badly  ti 
ty  both  parties  in  power. 


CHAPTER    V. 

Of   tlu-   affairs    of   the  Jewish    Nation    under    Ptolemy    Sotcr,    Ptolemy 
riiilaJclplms,  and  Ptolemy  Phllopatcr,  Kings  of  Egypt. 

Ptolemy  Soter  signified  his  intention  to  make 
Alexandria,  in  Egypt,  his  capital  city.  Il< 
suaded  many  of  the  Israelites  to  settle  there,  with 
the  promise  that  the  same  privileges  granted  them 
by  Alexander,  should  be  continued  to  them.  This 
boon  induced  numbers  of  Jews  to  settle  in  Alex- 
andria. 

A  remarkable  story  is  told  of  one  Mossolam,  a 
Jew,  who  was  one  of  those  who  followed  Ptolemy  at 
this  time.  This  Mossolam  was  one  of  a  Jewish 
troop  of  horse,  who  were  advised  by  some  soothsayer 
to  stand  still  at  the  sight  of  a  bird  which  appeared 
in  the  air,  and  that  the  people  should  follow  the 
direction  of  this  bird,  either  to  go  one  way  or  the 
other,  as  that  bird  took  its  flight ;  to  test  the  truth 
of  which,  this  Mossolam  shot  the  bird  with  his 
arrow,  and  the  bird  fell  dead  at  his  feet.  He  then 
declared  aloud  to  the  people,  "  How  could  that  poor 
bird  foretell  our  fortune,  which  knew  nothing  of  its 


I  I  SYNOPSIS    OP  JEWISH    HISTORY. 

own  ?"  Ilis  object  was,  in  this  expression,  to  expose 
the  superstition  of  the  heathens,  so  prevalent  in 
those  days. 

Ptolemy  Soter  established  a  college  of  K;un«l 
men,  at  Alexandria,  in  Egypt,  and  commenced  a 
library  there,  which  Ptolemy  Philadelphia,  his 
youngest  son  and  successor,  improved  to  one  hun- 
dred thousand  volumes.  It  is  stated  that  this  prince 
ordered  the  Pentateuch  to  be  translated  into  the 
Greek  language,  that  the  Gentiles  might  be  enabled 
to  read  it ;  this  was  accordingly  done,  and  placed  in 
the  great  library,  as  we  shall  read  hereafter. 

This  college  of  learned  men  was  encouraged,  and 
the  library  increased  under  the  several  Ptolemys  till 
it  contained  seven  hundred  thousand  books.  This 
circumstance  made  Alexandria  the  place  of  residence 
and  resort  for  learned  men  during  several  ages.  It 
happened,  unfortunately  for  posterity,  that  one  half 
of  this  famous  library  was  burnt  by  Julius  Caesar  in 
his  Alexandrian  war,  and  the  balance  was  finally 
destroyed  by  the  Saracens,  in  the  year  042  of  the 
Christian  era. 

Ptolemy  gained  the  favor  of  the  Jews,  by  paying 
a  ransom  of  one  hundred  thousand  of  their  country- 
men, who  had  been  taken  captive  and  made  slaves  in 
Egypt.  Having  thus  ingratiated  himself  into  their 
good  opinions,  he  proposed  the  translation  of  the 
Pentateuch  above  mentioned,  in  the  following  man- 
ner :  he  selected  six  Elders  out  of .  each  tribe, 
making  the  number  of  seventy-two ;  these  he  invited 
to  his  court,  and  engaged  them  to  perform  the  task, 


THE  JEWS  UNDER  THE  KINGS  OF  EGYPT.     45 

which  was  accordingly  done  and  approved  by  him  ; 
and  in  token  of  his  approbation,  he  very  liberally 
rewarded  them  for  their  labors.  This  translation  is 
known  by  the  name  of  the  Septuagint — so  called 
from  the  circumstance  of  there  having  been  seventy- 
two  learned  men  employed  for  that  purpose.  The 
Septuagint  is,  however,  by  no  means  considered  a 
correct  translation,  there  being  many  incongruities 
contained  therein ;  the  rendering  of  many  passages 
being  at  variance  with  the  original  Hebrew.  Tho 
translation  of  the  prophets,  etc.,  into  Greek,  was 
made  many  years  later,  in  the  days  of  Antiochus 
Epiphanes ;  this  completed  the  translation  of  the 
whole  of  the  Old  Testament. 

When  Ptolemy  Philopater  reigned  over  Egypt 
and  Syria,  he  '  persisted  in  offering  up  sacrifices  in 
gratitude  to  the  God  of  Israel,  for  his  success  against 
Antiochus  the  Great,  the  successor  of  Seleucus, 
king  of  Syria.  The  Jews  naturally  opposed  this 
measure,  and  were  consequently  persecuted  because 
of  their  strict  adherence  to  their  religion. 

The  kings  of  Syria  and  Egypt,  in  order  to  annoy 
the  Jews,  would  force  themselves  into  the  holy 
Temple,  and  burn  sacrifices  upon  the  altar.  It  is 
related  of  Ptolemy  Philopater  that  he  insisted  on 
entering  even  the  holy  of  holies.  The  priests  and 
the  levites,  and  all  the  people,  assembled  together 
in  prayer  and  supplication  to  the  Almighty,  to  assist 
them  in  preventing  the  sanctuary  from  being  polluted 
by  the  heathen.  It  happened  that,  when  the  king 
was  about  to  enter  the  holy  Temple,  he  was  smitten 


"PS1S    OF  JEWISH   HISTORY. 

with  such  terror  and  confusion  of  mind,  that  he  \\as 
removed  from  the  holy  ])lacc  almost  lifeless. 

kini;,  on  his  recovery  from  this  attack,  which 
I  was  caused  by  the  prayers  of  the  people, 
was  determined  to  be  revenged  on  the  whole  Jewish 
nation ;  for  which  purpose,  he  went  to  Alexandria, 
and  commanded  that  all  the  >hould  sacrifice 

to  his  idols.    The  peoph  nil  refused  to  do  so, 

on  which  account  he  deprived  them  of  all  the  privi- 
leges which  had  been  granted  to  them  by  Alexander 
the  Great.  He  then  directed  that  every  Jew  should 
be  marked  with  an  ivy  leaf,  (the  same  beini:  the 
badge  of  his  idol  Bacchus,)  burned  in  their  flesh 
with  a  hot  iron;  and  further,  that  all  those  \sli<> 
resisted  this  infliction,  should  either  be  made  slaves 
•  •r  put  to  death.  Some  few  of  the  "poor  Jews  reluct- 
antly obeyed  the  king's  mandate,  in  order  to  prevent 
the  tl  punishment ;  but  many  thousands  of 

them  stood  firm  hi  the  religion  of  their  fathers,  and 
suffered  all  the  persecutions  of  the  tyrant,  rather 
than  forsake  the  God  who  had  wrought  so  many 
miracles  in  their  behalf. 

Ptolemy,  vexed  to  find  that  the  people  would  not 
sacrifice  to  his  idols,  and  that  they  submitted  to 
every  degradation  rather  than  forsake  their  God, 
resolved  to  be  revenged,  and  threatened  to  destroy 
and  annihilate  the  whole  of  the  nation;  and  this 
he  attempted  to  do,  by  issuing  an  order  that  all  the 
Jews  who  lived  in  and  about  Egypt,  should  be 
brought  to  Alexandria  in  chains,  and  there  to  be 
red  by  his  elephants.  The  Jews  were  brought 


THE  JEWS  UNDER  THE   KINGS  OF  EGYPT.  47 

to  the  place  of  execution,  where  the  elephants  were 
made  drunk  with  wine  and  frankincense,  and  then 
let  loose  among  the  people ;  but  instead  of  falling 
upon .  the  Jews,  they  turned  their  rage  upon  the 
spectators  who  came  to  witness  the  scene,  and 
destroyed  great  numbers  of  them,  leaving  the  Jews 
unhurt. 

The  king  on  seeing  his  plans  frustrated,  began  to 
reflect,  and  to  be  convinced  that  the  God  of  Israel 
would  protect  his  people  from  their  enemies ;  and 
fearing  that  he  would  become  the  victim  of  the 
vengeance  of  a  justly  offended  God,  he  immediately 
revoked  his  cruel  decree,  and  restored  to  the  people 
all  their  former  privileges.  Those,  however,  who 
had  forsaken  their  God  and  abandoned  their  religion 
by  sacrificing  to  his  idols,  were  delivered  into  the 
hands  of  their  enemies,  and  many  of  them  were  put 
to  death. 

How  just  are  the  dispensations  of  Provid 
and  how  secure  is  man  under  the  most  perilous  cir- 
cumstances, while  he  puts  his  trust  in  his  God  and 
remains  firm  to  the  true  worship  of  Him  who  is  ever 
watchful  of  the  safety  of  his  faithful  and  trustworthy 
followers. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

Of  the  Jewtah  affair*  under  AnUochiu  the  Greek,  Seleacot,  and  AnUocboi 
Eplph«ne«,  Kings  of  ByrU. 

After  the  death  of  Ptolemy  Philopater,  Ptolemy 
Epiphaoes  came  to  the  throne.  The  Jews,  having 
experienced  severe  persecutions  at  the  hands  of  the 
Ptolemys,  surrendered  to  the  power  of  Antiochus 
the  Great,  King  of  Syria ;  and  when  he  came  to 
Jerusalem,  the  people  went  out  to  meet  him  in  great 
procession,  and  very  graciously  welcomed  him  to  their 

Antiochus,  flattered  by  this  mark  of  their  attention 
granted  them  the  same  privileges  as  he  had  done  to 
their  brethren  who  had  settled  themselves  in  Babylon 
a  if  I  Mesopotamia.  He  had  at  all  times  expressed 
himself  satisfied  with  the  conduct  of  the  people, 
having  found  them  on  all  occasions  true  and  loyal 
subjects. 

Antiochus,  wishing  to  show  his  confidence  in  the 
Jews,  and  with  a  view  of  encouraging  them,  sent 
many  of  them  from  Babylon  to  Lower  Asia,  to  guard 
and  protect  his  forts  and  garrisons,  and  allowed  them 


THE  JEWS  UNDER  THE  KINGS  OF  SYRIA.  49 

good  settlements ;  hence  many  of  the  Jewish  nation 
peopled  that  part  of  the  country.  At  the  death  of 
Antiochus,  his  son,  Seleucus  Philopater,  succeeded 
him.  In  his  day,  Simon,  a  Bcnjamite,  was  made 
Governor -of  the  Temple.  He  had  some  difference 
with  Onias,  the  high  priest,  who  was  a  very  good 
man.  Simon,  however,  not  succeeding  in  his  expec- 
tations with  the  high  priest,  reported  to  Appolonius, 
the  Governor  of  the  Province  under  Seleucus,  that 
great  treasures  were  deposited  in  the  Temple  ;  upon 
which  information  Heliodorus,  the  treasurer,  was  sent 
to  seize  them. 

Heliodorus  accordingly  repaired  to  the  Temple  to 
make  this  seizure.  When  he  entered  the  Templo  he 
found  the  priests  and  all  the  people  engaged  in 
solemn  prayer  to  Almighty  God,  imploring  his  divine 
assistance  in  their  present  distress.  The  scene  which 
thus  presented  itself  to  him  at  that  moment  so  pow- 
erfully affected  him,  that  he  fell  prostrate  before  the 
Lord  of  Hosts,  whose  power  he  publicly  acknowl- 
edged, and  resolved  not  to  interfere  with  the  people 
of  God,  as  he  called  them,  and  immediately  left  the 
city. 

Antiochus  Epiphanes  succeeded  his  brother  Seleu- 
cus in  the  kingdom  of  Syria.  When  seated  on  the 
throne,  Jason,  the  brother  of  Onias  the  high  priest, 
bribed  Antiochus  with  a  large  sum  of  money  to  de- 
prive Onias  of  the  priesthood  and  to  banish  him  to 
Aiitioch ;  at  the  same  time  Jason  wished  to  have  the 
priesthood  conferred  on  him ;  not,  as  it  is  supposed, 
that  he  wished  to  have  it  as  a  religious  office,  but  be- 


•  M    .n:\vi-n    in>r<n;v. 


91  him  I'lkcAiM'  ttith  tlu>  ]  -«»wor  of 

•-vrmii.-;.-  chua  received  the  bribe; 

ied  Ouias  to  Antioch,  a  .!>i>oiutcd  Jason 

to  the  otti  i  priest. 

i  -on  became  1:  ;  huv 

Jerusalem  for   training  up  youth  ac- 
eordini:  t«>  tlu  of  tbc  Greeks,  and   induced 

to  forsako  the  religious  customs  and 
usages    of    their    1'  s    and    to    conform    in 

things  t>  toms  and  ceremonies 

as.     Some  few  years  after  Jason  had  lucn  in 
•mmissioiud  h  -us  to^(,  to 

tlie  c<  to  j>ay  tlic  annual  trilmto  n 

lus  took  advantage  of  th  rtunity,  an  I 

.be  than  his  bruthrr  liad 
-;!;  .....  1. 

Antiochus  made  no  scruplo  in  the  matter,  and  ac- 
cepted the  money  thus  offered  by  Mrn.-l:ms:  and 
gave  instructions  to  bis  secretary  to  make  out  a 
commission  in  favor  of  M.-nclaus,  who  return.  -d  tri- 
umphantly to  Jerusalem,  deposed  his  brother  Jason, 
and  placed  himself  in  the  office  of  the  priesth 

0  being  in  office,  abused  the  power  and 
rity  vested  in  him,  and  conducted  himself  in  a 
manner  much  worse  than  his  brother  whom  he  had 
deposed.  He  stole  some  of  the  golden  vessels  from 
the  Temple,  impoverished  the  country,  and  by  de- 
grees he  managed  to  enslave  the  whole  of  Judea, 
and  overturned  all  that  was  left  of  her  religion  and 
h'.T  freedom.  He  then  vi-  -ch,  whore  he 

met  his  brother  Onias,  who  rebuked  him  for  his  mis- 


THE  JEWS  UNDER  THE  KINGS  OF  SYRIA.  51 

conduct  both  towards  him  and  the  people  in  general. 
Menelaus,  chagrined  at  his  brother's  rebuke,  adopted 
means  by  which  Onias  was  put  to  death.  During 
this  time,  Lysimachus,  who  had  been  appointed  by 
Menelaus  to  officiate  as  his  deputy  during  his  absence, 
stripped  the  temple  of  many  of  its  most  costly  ves- 
sels. He  also  committed  many  other  sacrilegious  acts ; 
this  occasioned  a  great  tumult  and  confusion  among 
the  people,  which  ended  in  considerable  bloods' 
and  in  which  conflict  the  deputy  himself  fell  a  victim. 

This  circumstance  led  to  a  false  report  IK-HILT  in- 
dustriously circulated,  that  Antiochus  had  fallen  in 
the  affray.  Jason,  availing  himself  of  this  confusion, 
headed  an  army  of  resolute  and  desperate  men  ;  re- 
paired to  Jerusalem  which  he  assaulted ;  suco 
cd  in  putting  to  flight  his  brother  Menelaus  with 
his  party,  and  committed  great  havoc  among  those 
who  opposed  him.  Jason,  however,  was  in  the  end 
defeated;  his  party  routed  ;  he  himself  perished  in 
some  strange  land,  and  it  is  supposed  even  without 
the  usual  rites  of  burial. 

Antiochus  hearing  of  this  affair,  and  imagining 
that  Judea  had  revolted,  gave  immediate  orders  to 
his  "soldiers  to  repair  to  Jerusalem  and  to  kill  young 
and  old  without  any  reserve.  The  soldiers  obeyed 
their  cruel  master  in  so  unmerciful  a  manner,  that  in 
less  than  three  days  upwards  of  forty  thousand  souls 
were  slain ;  thousands  taken  into  captivity,  and  sold 
as  slaves  to  the  several  neighboring  nations. 

Antiochus  then  entered  the  holy  Temple,  stripped 
it  of  all  the  sacred  vessels  still  remaining — the  altar 


52  SYNOPSIS   OP  JEWISH    HISTORY. 

of  incense — the  golden  table  and  the  golden  candle- 
stick. 

He  then  destroyed  all  the  beautiful  decorations  of 
the  House  of  (rod,  robbed  the  noble  edifice  of  all  its 
treasures,  and  impiously  polluted  the  holy  of  holies. 
And  to  further  satiate  his  cruel  revenge,  he  sacrificed 
a  sow  on  the  altar  of  burnt  offerings,  and  scattered 
its  fragments  over  every  part  of  the  Temple.  The 
tyrant  then  departed,  leaving  the  city  of  Jerusalem 
overwhelmed  in  sorrow  and  in  mourning.  The  streets 
were  strewed  with  the  dying  and  the  dead.  The 
cries  and  lamentations  of  the  orphan  and  the  widow 
deplored  the  loss  of  their  natural  protectors  and 
their  property,  which  the  tyrant  carried  away  with 
him  to  enrich  his  unholy  possessions. 

Some  time  after,  Antiochus  sent  his  general  Ap- 
pollonius  to  collect  the  annual  tribute  to  which  the 
Jews  were  subject,  and  at  the  same  time  com- 
manded him  at  the  head  of  a  thousand  men,  to  attack 
the  city  of  Jerusalem  on  the  sabbath  day,  while  the 
people  were  all  engaged  in  their  religious  worship  in 
the  Temple. 

Appollonius  fully  executed  the  mandate  of  his 
cruel  master.  He  slew  the  priests  and  the  Levitcs 
while  at  their  sacred  duties,  together  with  numbers 
of  the  private  citizens ;  led  the  women  and  children 
into  captivity ;  destroyed  all  their  houses ;  built  a 
castle  near  the  Temple,  and  placed  a  troop  of  men 
as  guards  to  watch  and  annoy  those  few  Jews  who 
still  remained  in  the  city. 

Not  yet  satisfied,  the  cruel  tyrant  issued  a  decree 


THE  JEWS  UNDER  THE  KINGS  OF  SYRIA.  53 

throughout  all  his  dominions  to  suppress  every  reli- 
gion excepting  the  worship  of  the  idols,  he  himself 
had  set  up,  and  to  which  alone  he  paid  his  adoration. 
Ho  forbade  the  Jews  to  perform  the  initiatory  rite 
on  their  male  children,  and  prevented  them  from 
offering  any  more  sacrifices  in  the  Temple  to  the  God 
of  Israel.  He  then  set  up  an  image  upon  the  altar, 
and  sacrificed  to  it,  and  called  it  the  Temple  of  Jupi- 
ter Olympus.  He  compelled  the  people  to  offer  up 
the  flesh  of  swine,  and  other  unclean  beasts,  and 
even  to  eat  of  them.  He  forced  the  Jews  to  profane 
the  sabbath,  and  cruelly  persecuted  all  such  who  did 
not  strictly  conform  to  his  wishes ;  rendering  the  posi- 
tion of  the  poor  Jews  pitiable  in  the  extreme,  and 
'  probably  unequalled  by  any  othor  nation  in  the  annals 
of  the  world.  Antiochus  then  ordered  all  the  books 
of  the  law,  and  other  books  used  for  worship,  to  be 
destroyed ;  and  to  effectually  carry  out  his  cruel  edict, 
officers  were  appointed  to  search  every  house,  and 
every  person  was  examined  on  oath  as  to  the 
possession  of  any  Hebrew  books  or  tablets.  By  this 
means  not  a  copy  of  the  law  was  to  be  seen  among 
the  poor  Jews.  Notwithstanding  all  these  persecu- 
tions, there  were  found  numbers  of  the  people  who 
defied  the  power  of  the  merciless  king ;  and  putting 
their  trust  in  the  God  of  Israel,  would  not  defile 
themselves  with  the  idolatrous  worship  then  imposed 
on  them,  and  break  the  law  of  God.  Sad  to  relate, 
that  daily  and  hourly  these  people  who  adhered  to 
their  religion,  were  put  to  the  sword  and  other  tor- 
ments, to  compel  them  to  act  in  obedience  to  the 


•  >H     HIM'ORY. 

king's  orders.  Their  love  for  their  religion  was 
greater  Uiun  the  pleasures  of  this  world,  and  in  sup- 
port of  that  religion  they  sacrificed  th»-:r  own  lives 
and  those  of  their  wives  and  children. 

In  the  next  and  following  chapters  we  shall  inform 
our  readers  of  the  manner  in  which  the  L->rd  raised 
up  champions  in  Israel,  who  valiantly  and  bravely 
resented  the  injuries  inflicted  on  their  countrymen, 
and  zealously  fought  the  battles  of  the  Lord  :  the 
success  which  ensued,  together  with  the  total  <h -li-at 
of  their  enemies,  and  the  punishment  which  awaited 
yrant  Antiochus  and  his  army. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

<»l   ihc  state  of  the  Jewish  Nation  in  the  days  of  Mattathia*  tlu    Friest, 
the  father  of  the  valiant  Maccabcc*. 

Iii  the  days  of  the  tyrant  Antiochus,  who  so 
frightfully  and  cruelly  persecuted  the  Jcus,  bb 
lived  at  Modiu  a  very  learned,  pious,  and  noblo 
priest;  he  was  of  the  family  of  the  Asmoncans, 
named  Mattathias.  This  zealous  and  brave  man 
was  one  of  the  first  who  was  determined  to  oppose 
the  future  progress  of  Antiochus.  Mattathias,  who 
was  known  to  be  a  man  of  considerable  influence 
among  his  brethren,  was  highly  complimented  by 
the  king's  officers,  and  tempted  by  them  to  comply 
with  the  reijuest  of  the  king  to  renounce  the  Jewish 
religion  arid  embrace  that  of  the  heathen.  The  priest 
boldly  and  fearlessly  rejected  their  entreaties ;  and 
in  the  hearing  of  all  the  people  he  declared  that  no 
consideration  whatever  should  induce  him,  or  any  of 
his  family,  to  forsake  his  God  and  his  holy  religion ; 
they  would  continue  to  walk  in  the  sacred  path  of 
their  fathers,  and  that  no  king  on  earth  could  be 
found  to  compel  them  to  adopt  any  heathen  worship. 


56  SYNOPSIS    OK   jr.W!<H    HISTORY. 

This  bold  declaration  of  the  valiant  priest,  creat- 
ed great  sensation  among  the  people — and  some  of 
them  fearing  the  torments  threatened  to  he  inflicted 
on  all  such  who  refused  to  obey  the  king's  orders, 
consented  to  offer  sacrifices  on  the  altar  set  up  fur 
heathen  worship;  this  altar  was  placed  at  Modin. 
The  priest,  zealous  in  the  cause  of  his  religion,  was 
determined  to  be  avenged  of  this  outrage  commit  ted 
by  some  of  his  brethren ;  he  exhorted  the  people  in 
general,  not  to  be  led  away  by  the  acts  of  these 
apostates,  but  to  remain  true  to  their  holy  faith,  and 
that  he  and  his  family  would  pour  out  their  life's 
blood  for  their  sacred  cause. 

At  this  time  a  Jew  presented  himself  at  the  altar, 
and  sacrificed  to  the  idol  there  erected.  Matta- 
thias,  fired  by  religious  zeal,  fell  upon  the  apostate 
and  slew  him  on  the  spot.  His  sons,  actuated  by  the 
same  religious  spirit,  slew  the  king's  chief  officer 
and  his  men  who  enforced  his  wicked  commands. 
They  then  destroyed  both  the  altar  and  the  images, 
declaring  aloud  to  all  their  brethren,  "  -Ye  who  are 
zealous  for  the  cause  of  the  Lord  and  His  religion, 
follow  us !  Follow,  follow !"  The  priest  then  col- 
lected together  all  the  members  of  his  family,  and 
took  up  his  abode  in  the  neighboring  mountains. 
Many  of  the  J«ws  followed  this  example,  and  fled — 
some  to  the  deserts,  some  to  the  mountains,  and 
there  assembling  together,  formed  themselves  into  a 
little  army — bold,  resolute,  zealous  and  brave  in 
their  just  and  noble  cause. 

.The  king's  troops  pursued  them,  and  attacked 


THE  JEWS  IN  THE  DAYS    OF  MATTATHIAS.  57 

them  on  the  Sabbath  .day.  The  people  unwilling  to 
profane  the  Sabbath,  made  no  resistance,  unani- 
mously declaring,  "  Let  us  rather  die  in  innocence 
than  triumph  in  guilt."  The  enemy  taking  advan- 
tage of  this,  slew  them  in  great  numbers.  The 
venerable  Mattathias  grieved  at  seeing  his  brethren 
so  cruelly  and  innocently  murdered,  made  a  decree, 
(having  previously  consulted  his  brother  priests,) 
and  published  it  throughout  the  land,  that  it  should 
be  lawful,  should  it  be  found  requisite,  for  the  people 
to  defend  themselves  against  their  enemies,  in  the 
event  of  their  being  attacked,  on  the  Sabbath  day. 
This  resolution  was  adopted  and  followed  in  all  the 
subsequent  wars,  under  the  direction  of  their  able 
and  pious  champions. 

When  Antiochus  heard  of  this  bold  and  daring 
resolution,  so  much  beyond  his  expectations,  he 
perpetrated  the  most  frightful  cruelties  on  every 
Jew  who  would  not  forsake  his  religion.  On  this 
occasion  happened  the  martyrdom  of  the  venerable 
and  pious  Eleazer,  a  priest  of  great  learning,  probity 
and  zeal  in  the  cause  of  religion.  At  the  advanced 
age  of  ninety  years,  this  poor  man  was  led  forth  to 
the  scaffold,  and  was  desired  to  make  a  public  decla- 
ration that  he  would  renounce  his  religion — that  he 
should  eat  swine's  flesh  in  the  presence  of  all  the 
people,  as  a  proof  of  his  conversion.  With  resolute 
firmness,  and  becoming  resentment,  the  venerable 
priest  refused  to  comply  with  the  wishes  of  the 
tyrant,  and  preferred  death  rather  than  forsake  the 
religion  of  the  one  true  God. 
D 


58  SYNOPSIS    OF   .11  .WISH 


At  this  period  it  occurred,  th:it  ;i  mother  mid  her 

BOM  \\.-re  se.'iirjrd  in  order  to  com]  id  them  to 
eat  swine's  flesh.  Both  the  mother  and  her  sous 
publicly  declared  their  resolution  to  die  under  ilio 
hands  of  the  executioner,  rather  than  trans^r.-ss  the 
.laws  of  God.  The  tyrant  then  ordered  their  limits 
to  be  cut  off,  their  tongues  to  be  cut  out,  and  the 

:   their  heads  to  be  stripped  off  with  the  hair; 

all  which  wase\  e  "f  the  mother, 

Iclren  to   suffer  their  tortures 

bravely  in  the  cause  of  their  religion.     She  soothed 

afflictions  by  the  tenderest  affections,  1- 
ing   them   to    t  i.    and  not  the  tyrant  —  and 

.try  to  endure  the  torment,  in  the  h«»j,e  and 
expectation  of  a  happy  and  glorious  resurrect  inn, 
where  she  would  meet  them  again  in  mercy,  and 
under  the  protection  of  an  all  gracious  father,  who 
never  forsakes  the  truly  righteous.  The  mother 
having  witnessed  the  sufferings  of  all  her  sons, 
martyrs  to  the  cause  of  their  religion,  shared  the 
same  sad  fate,  and  under  similar  torments  was  ush- 

into  eternity. 

tt  a  noble  example  to  parents  of  the  present 
day  to  watch  over  the  conduct  of  their  children,  and 
exert  all  the  means  in  their  power  to  induce  them  to 
walk  in  the  path  of  virtue  ;  to  inculcate  in  them 
true  religion,  and  not  suffer  them  to  think  so  lightly 
of  the  precepts  of  the  Lord  —  for  it  must  be  admitted 

lie  apathy  evinced  in  the  present  day  by  all 
classes  of  society,  is  the  sole  contributing  cause  of 
the  infidelity  so  prevalent  amongst  us.  If  we  are 


THE  JEWS  IN  THE   DATS  OP  MATTATHIAS.         59 

asked  what  is  the  cause  of  this  infidelity,  the 
answer  is,  the  Holy  Bible  is  not  studied  sufficiently, 
either  privately  or  publicly ;  and  not  being  under- 
stood, is  consequently  rejected  by  thousands  of  those 
who .  grow  up  in  ignorance  ;  hence,  in  the  hour  of 
distress,  they  have  nothing  to  console  them,  as  in 
olden  times,  as  exhibited  in  the  history  before  us. 

During  this  time,  Mattathias  who  still  remained 
concealed  in  the  mountains,  encouraged  his  brethren 
to  remain  firm  in  their  cause.  He  spoke  so  em- 
phatically to  them  that  he  gained  their  confidence, 
in  consequence  of  which,  great  numbers  declared 
themselves  true  to  the  noble  enterprise  before 
them.  Those  who  more  particularly  were  devoted 
to  the  cause,  were  such  as  were  called  chasicl 
or  pious ;  of  this  sect  we  shall  have  to  speak  in  a 
future  chapter,  and  therefore  we  shall  proceed  with 
our  narrative,  in  which  we  shall  see  the  result  of 
true  piety  and  honest  zeal  in  the  defence  of  upright 
principles. 

Mattathias  and  his  party  then  marched,  well 
armed,  through  all  the  towns  and  villages,  destroyed 
all  the  altars  and  places  of  worship  belonging  to  the 
heathens.  They  then  circumcised  all  the  male 
children,  who  had  been  neglected  in  this  matter  in 
consequence  of  the  edict  passed  by  the  tyrant  Anti- 
ochus.  In  this  affair  they  met  with  very  strong 
opposition,  and  in  their  defence  they  committed 
great  slaughter  among  their  enemies.  They  succeed- 
ed on  this  occasion  in  recovering  many  copies  of  the 
law,  which  had  been  hid  at  the  tune  the  mandate 


60  SYNOPSIS    OF  JEWISH    HISTORY. 

was  issued  to  destroy  all  the  copies  of  the  law,  or 
any  other  Hebrew  manuscripts  which  might  be  found 
among  the  people.  The  venerable  and  pious  priest 
had  now  grown  grey  in  the  service,  and  appeared  to 
be  fast  approaching  the  verge  of  the  grave.  Sensi- 
ble of  his  position,  Mattathias  assembled  together  all 
his  children,  together  with  his  friends,  and  on  his 
death  bed  he  thus  addressed  them  : 

44  My  sons,  be  ye  valiant  and  zealous  in  the  cause 
44 1  have  so  long  advocated — expose  your  lives  in  its 
44  defence,  and  hereafter  you  will  share  the  glorious 
44  reward  of  your  perseverance.  Let  me,  says  the 
44  dying  man,  bring  to  your  memory  the  spirit,  the 
44  noble  spirit  and  pious  zeal  of  your  ancestors,  to 
44  animate  your  hope,  and  to  encourage  your  steady 
44  reliance  on  the  power  and  protection  of.  your  all- 
44  gracious  God.  Thus  inspired,  my  dear  chiUhvn, 
44  and  thus  determined  to  defend  your  laws,  your 
ft  liberties,  and  .your  religion,  you  will  not,  you 
44  cannot  fail  of  success.  My  son  Simon  has  proved 
44  himself  a  man  of  wisdom,  follow  his  advice  as  a 
44  father,  and  as  a  counselor.  Judas,  your  brother, 
44  is  well  known  for  his  courage  and  valorous  conduct, 
"  let  him  be  your  general,  let  him  head  your  army 
44  and  lead  you  to  the  battle-field.  My  sons,  may 
44  God  Almighty  ever  protect  you  and  prosper  you  in 
44  all  your  righteous  undertakings,  and  crown  all  your 
44  laudable  efforts  with  success." 

After  this  tender  and  affectionate  interview,  this, 
his  last  and  farewell  advice  to  his  sons,  Mattathias 
in  a  good  old  age  expired,  and  was  honorably  buried 


THE  JEWS  IN  THE  DAYS  OF  MATTATHIAS.  61 

at  Modin,  in  the  sepulchre  of  his  ancestors — beloved 
and  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him  in  life,  and 
revered  and  lamented  by  all  who  attended  his  mortal 
remains  to  the  grave. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Tb«  OoTemoMOt  of  the  Jewbh  nation  under  the  Maccabecu,  or  aa  they 
wen  othenrbe  called,  the  Aunoncaiu,  thU  being  the  family  name. 

Judas,  at  the  dying  request  of  his  father,  and 
with  the  full  consent  of  his  brothers,  took  upon  hiin- 
?rlf  the  command  of  the  forces,  and  at  once  erected 
his  standard.  Judas  is  henceforth  called  Ju<la> 
Maccabees,  because  he  chose  for  the  motto  of  his 
banner  in  the  field  of  battle,  the  sentence  from  the 
song  of  Moses,  Exodus,  chap,  xv  :  "  Who  is  like 
unto  thee,  amongst  the  powers,  oh  Lord!"  In 
Hebrew  the  initials  of  the  words  in  the  sentence 
form  the  word  "  Mochbee."  Hence  it  is,  that  all 
those  who  fought  under  the  banner  of  Judas,  were 
called  " Maccabees"  and  all  of  that  race  were 
known  by  that  name. 

Judas  and  his  brethren  achieved  many  very  val- 
iant deeds,  in  defending  the  cause  of  the  holy  law, 
and  the  holy  religion  of  the  God  of  Israel,  of  which 
they  were  the  bold  champions.  Judas  was  success- 
ful in  gaining  the  many  battles  he  fought  with 
Antiochus :  and  to  encourage  his  army  to  fight 


THK  JEWS  UNDER  THE  MACCABEES.        63 

bravely,  he  exhorted  them  to  put  their  trust  in  God 
and  that  they  would  conquer.  This  inducement  held 
out  to  the  army,  appears  to  have  produced  the 
desired  effect. 

The  tyrant  Antiochus,  seeing  their  repeated  suc- 
cess, became  resolute  and  determined  to  be  avenged 
of  his  powerful  opponents,  the  Maccabees.  To 
effectuate  this,  he  adopted  the  following  stratagem  : 
when  he  went  into  Persia  to  gather  the  tribute  of  the 
countries  round  about,  he  left  Lysias  with  half  his 
army,  with  express  orders  to  destroy  and  root  out  all 
the  Jews  from  their  land. 

Lysias  proved  as  cruel  as  his  master  ;  he  collected 
numerous  forces  and  encamped  near  Jerusalem  ;  his 
army  consisted  of  forty  thousand  foot,  and  seven 
thousand  horse.  Encouraged  by  the  hope  of  suc- 
cess on  the  part  of  Lysias,  a  body  of  merchants, 
about  a  thousand  in  number,  repaired. to  the  place  of 
action,  provided  with  large  quantities  of  gold  and 
silver,  with  the  full  expectation  of  buying  the  captive 
Jews  for  slaves.  Whilst  the  enemy  contemplated  a 
complete  victory,  Judas  and  his  brethren  gathered 
themselves  together  unto  Mizpah  ;  here  they  fasted, 
put  on  sackcloth,  and  prayed  to  God  to  help  them  in 
their  great  distress.  They  opened  the  book  of  the 
law  before  God,  where  the  heathens  had  polluted  it 
by  painting  their  images  which  they  worshiped. 
They  then  sounded  the  trumpets  and  prepared  for 
battle,  resolved  to  a  man  to  die  in  defence  of  their 
country  and  their  religion.  The  result  of  this  zeal 
and  courage  on  the  part  of  Judas,  proved  successful ; 


64  MNOPSIS    OF   JEWIMl    II I -TORY. 

Judas  and  his  army  put  to  flight  and  destroyed  sev- 
eral large  forces  which  Lysiashad  sent  against  thorn. 
Th.-v  drove  the  enemy  out  of  Jerusalem,  and  almost 
out  of  the  land  of  Judea,  and  succeeded  in  possess- 
ing themselves  of  a  largo  booty,  both  from  the  army 
and  the  merchants,  who  expected  to  become  their 
masters. 

Judas  and  his  party,  grateful  to  heaven  for  this 
great  and  glorious  success  over  such  powerful  ene- 
mies, immediately  repaired  to  Mount  Sinn,  where 
they  saw  the  sanctuary  of  X»od  made  desolate,  de- 
serted and  neglected ;  even  the  altar  was  polluted, 
the  gates  and  walls  thrown  down,  the  courts  of  the 
Temple,  the  beautiful  edifice  itself  bedecked,  not 
with  sweet  or  odoriferous  herbs,  but  with  wild  shrubs 
and  grass  which  the  hand  of  time  had  allowed  to 
grow  on  that  sacred  spot.  What  a  heart-rending 
scene  for  the  pious  Judas  and  his  followers !  Griev- 
ed at  beholding  such  a  devastation  of  God's  holy 
place,  they  fell  on  their  faces,  rent  their  clothes,  and 
made  great  lamentations;  at  the  same  time  implor- 
ing the  aid  of  heaven  to  repair  the  loss  thus 
sustained. 

Judas  and  his  party  diligently  applied  themselves 
to  repair  the  Temple,  and  to  restore  the  worship  of 
God.  They  selected  some  of  the  good  priests  to 
purify  the  sanctuary  ;  they  removed  the  altar,  which 
had  been  profaned  by  the  heathens,  and  built  a  new 
one  as  the  law  directs.  They  then  made  some  new 
vessels  for  the  use  of  the  Temple,  from  the  gold 
which  they  had  taken  from  the  enemy  in  the  late 


THE  JEWS  UNDER  THE  MACCABEES.        65 

battle.  The  regular  order  of  divine  worship  was 
again  introduced,  and  sacrifices  offered  up  according 
to  the  law  of  Moses. 

It  is  somewhat  remarkable,  and  worthy  of  our 
attention,  that  that  very  day  three  years,  on  which 
the  heathen  had  profaned  the  altar  by  offering  up 
unclean  beasts,  the  Temple  was  dedicated  with  great 
rejoicings  and  grateful  acknowledgments  to  God, 
which  continued  during  eight  days.  It  was  on  this 
occasion  that  Judas  and  his  brethren  ordained  that 
this  feast  of  dedication  should  be  celebrated  annually 
on  the  return  of  this  period,  with  mirth  and  gladness, 
together  with  praises  and  thanksgiving  to  God. 
This  feast  of  dedication  is  known  among  Israelites 
by  the  name  "  Honucha"  Hebrew  word  for  dedica- 
tion. The  fact  related  is,  that  when  Judas  and  his 
men  had  purified  the  Temple,  a  very  small  lamp  of 
consecrated  oil  was  miraculously  found,  capable  of 
furnishing  sufficient  to  supply  all  the  established 
holy  lights  in  the  Temple  during  eight  days,  until  a 
fresh  portion  could  be  procured.  This  circumstance 
occurred  about  two  years  after  Judas  had  the  chief 
command,  and  upwards  of  three  years  after  the  city 
and  the  Temple  had  been  laid  desolate  by  Appollo- 
nius.  History  informs  us,  that  the  holy  worship  in 
the  Temple  continued  with  little  interruption  from 
the  heathen,  until  the  destruction  of  the  Temple  by 
the  Romans,  though  Jerusalem  itself  was  often  in  the 
power  of  its  enemies. 

Notwithstanding  the  success  achieved  by  Judas 
and  his  party,  they  were  much  annoyed  by  their 


66  SYNOPSIS  OF  jr. wisn   HISTORY. 

enemies,  from  the  fact  that  the  fortress  built  by 
Appoionius  still  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  heath- 
ens. It  stood  on  Mount  Acra,  a  rising  ground 
faring  the  Tempta  The  heathens  placed  themselves 
here  to  annoy  the  Jews,  on  their  going  to,  and  re- 
turning from  the  Temple.  Judas  finding  that  he 
could  not  drive  out  the  enemy  at  once,  endeavored 
to  prevent  these  annoyances  by  building  up  Mount 
Sion  with  high  walls  and  strong  towers,  lie  also 
placed  guards  there  to  protect  the  priests  and  the 
people  when  they  went  t«»  the  Temple,  with  the  view 
of  preventing  the  Gentiles  from  invading  the 
lary . 

Though  Judas  and  his  men  continued  the  Temple 
worship,  they  were  still  in  constant  warfare.  The 
neighboring  nations  were  all  jealous  of  the  success 
gained  by  the  Jews,  and  dissatisfied  that  they  had 
restored  the  sacred  worship  in  the  Temple  of  the 
Lord.  To  show  their  displeasure  they  attacked  the 
Jews  on  all  sides;  war  ensued,  and  fierce  battles 
were  fought,  in  most  of  which  Judas  proved  victori- 
ous, sustaining  but  little  loss  in  his  army. 

Judas,  encouraged  by  such  success,  which  he 
always  acknowledged  to  be  from  the  hand  of  God, 
and  not  from  his  own  power,  led  forth  his  army 
against  Georgius,  a  general  of  Antiochus,  as  also 
against  the  Idumeans,  who  had  in  their  turn  proved 
vexatious  to  the  Jews.  In  these  attacks  Judas  lost 
many  of  his  men,  but  nevertheless  proved  victorious. 
Judas  was  a  noble  and  valiant  general ;  his  policy 
was  at  all  times  to  encourage  his  men  by  inducing 


THE  JEWS  UNDER  THE  MA.CCABEES.        67 

them  to  put  their  trust  in  God,  who  had  done  so 
much  for  their  ancestors,  and  instilling  in  their 
minds  the  belief  that  he  would  continue  his  pro- 
tection to  them  as  long  as  they  were  inclined  to  act 
righteously  to  each  other.  During  this  time,  Antio- 
chus  was  visiting  Persia  in  order  to  receive  his 
tribute  from  the  people  of  that  country — and  plunder 
the  Temple  of  Diana,  erected  at  Elymosf  which  was 
said  to  contain  great  riches  in  gold  and  silver,  and  a 
very  valuable  armory.  The  people  of  Persia  having 
gained  intelligence  of  the  king's  intention,  boldly 
defended  the  Temple  of  their  idol,  and  succeeded  in 
totally  defeating  the  enemy. 

Antiochus  enraged  at  this  discomfiture,  and  at 
the  reports  he  had  received  of  the  defeat  of  his 
generals  in  Judea,  resolved  to  march  toward  Jeru- 
salem, and  threatened  to  make  the  whole  city  as  one 
grave,  in  which  to  bury  all  the  Jews  then  in  the 
Holy  Land.  How  far  this  wicked  man  succeeded  in 
his  cruel  resolve,  the  following  facts  will  show  ;  they 
need  no  comment  on  our  part,  to  prove  that  it  was 
the  finger  of  God  that  was  directing  all  that  befel 
Antiochus,  and  other  persecutors  of  mankind.  It  is 
generally  supposed  by  historians,  that  the  same  dis- 
aster which  befel  the  tyrant  Antiochus,  was  visited 
on  many  persecutors  of  God's  people,  both  in  former 
and  latter  times — hence  supporting  our  views  on  the 
subject,  that  Heaven  ordained  all  that  had  happened. 
Whilst  on  his  journey,  Antiochus  was  smitten  with 
an  incurable  plague ;  his  chariot  was  upset,  and  he 
was  seriously  hurt.  He  was  then  carried  to  a 


STKOI--I-    MI     .M-.  \VISII 


small  town  on  the  road  side,  put  to  bed,  in  which  ho 
lingered  for  some  time,  8ufterin<j  the  most  excrucia- 
agonies  of  body,  ami  torments  of  mind,  until  he 
died.  On  liis  death-lied,  Antioehus  showed  gn 
contrition  of  mind  for  the  crimes  which  he  had  per- 
}>ctratcd  against  God  and  man.  The  heathens  de- 
clared that  it  was  a  punishment  inflicted  for  his 
intended  sacrilege  of  the  Temple  of  Diana  ;  but  the 
ish  historians  acijuaint  us,  that  the  tyrant  himself 
imputed  bis  sufferings  as  a  punishment  for  the 
cruelties  towards  Israel,  and  the  impieties  he  practi- 
sed against  the  Lord  and  his  holy  Temple.  Thus 
ended  the  life  of  this  great  and  relentless  tyrant. 

The  pleasing  tidings  of  the  death  of  the  tyrant 
having  reached  the  ears  of  Judas,  he  was  encoura^rd 
to  besiege  the  garrison  of  the  Syrians,  in  the  town 
of  Acra,  in  which  enterprise  he  succeeded  by  a 
stratagem  which  will  be  hereafter  related. 

At  the  death  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  his  son 
Autiochus  Eupator  became  his  successor.  He  proved 
to  be  no  better  than  his  father,  whose  footsteps  he 
followed  by  persecuting  the  Jews  wherever  found 
throughout  his  empire.  Autiochus  Eupator  com- 
menced his  career  by  bringing  a  vast  army  against 
Judas,  consisting  of  one  hundred  thousand  foot, 
twenty  thousand  horse,  thirty-two  elephants,  and 
three  hundred  armed  chariots  of  war.  Judas's  army 
being  so  small,  compared  with  that  of  the  enemy, 
encouraged  his  men  by  the  watchword  which  he 
issued  among  them:  "Victory  is  of  the  Lord." 
Animated  by  the  hope  of  success,  they  managed  to 


THE  JEWS  UNDER  THE  MACCABEES.        69 

surprise  the  enemy  at  night,  and  slew  upwards  of 
four  thousand  of  them,  and  then  made  a  safe  retreat 
to  Jerusalem.  In  this  encounter,  Eleazer,  one  of  the 
brothers  of  Judas,  evinced  great  courage  ;  he  saw 
one  of  the  elephants  raised  much  higher  than  the 
rest.  Supposing  that  the  king  himself  must  be 
mounted  thereon,  he  ran  through  the  camp,  made 
his  way  to  the  beast,  and  thrust  him  through  with 
his  spear.  The  wound  proving  mortal,  the  beast 
with  his  heavy  burthen  fell  down  and  crushed  Elea- 
zer to  death. 

Antiochus  Eupator's  army  then  marched  to  Jeru- 
salem under  the  command  of  Lysias,  and  besieged 
the  sanctuary.  During  this  siege,  the  Jews  suffered 
much  from  the  want  of  provisions.  They  were  on 
the  point  of  surrendering  to  the  enemy,  when,  by 
the  providence  of  the  Almighty,  they  were  strangely 
released  from  the  impending  danger.  It  happened 
that  Lysias,  the  general,  heard  that  the  city  of 
Antioch  was  seized  by  one  Philip,  a  favorite  of  the 
late  king,  who  had  taken  upon  himself  the  govern- 
ment of  Syria;  Lysias, *on  this  account,  persuaded 
the  present  king  to  declare  peace  with  the  Jews,  to 
which  proposal  he  readily  consented. 

About  this  time  Demetrius,  the  cousin  of  Antio- 
chus, became  king  in  his  place,  under  the  following 
circumstances :  Demetrius  was  the  son  of  Seleucus 
Philopater,  the  eldest  brother  of  Antiochus  Epipha- 
nes  ;  at  his  death,  Seleucus  endeavored  to  persuade 
the  Romans  to  assist  him  in  obtaining  the  kingdom  of 
Syria,  but  without  success.  Being  disappointed  in 


70  SYNOPSIS    OF  JEWISH    HISTORY. 

his  expectations,  Demetrius  wont  to  Syria  and  there 
induced  the  people  to  believe  that  the  Romans  had 
sent  him.  On  the  strength  of  this  report,  Amioehus 
Kujvator,  and  his  general,  Lysias,  wero  seized  by 
their  own  soldiers,  and  put  to  death  by  order  of 
Demetrius. 

Demetrius  being  seated  on  the  throne,  one  Alci- 
mus,  a  descendant  of  the  tribe  of  Aaron,  applied  to 
him  to  be  assisted  in  procuring  the  appointment  of 
high  priest,  to  which  office  he  had  been  raided  by  the 
late  king,  Antiochus  Eupator.  Alcimus  bad  been 
refused  by  the  Jews,  he  having  complied  with  the 
heathen  superstition  in  the  time  of  the  persecution, 
in  order  to  gain  favor  with  the  kin;:  and  his  generals. 
Judas  and  his  party,  now,  as  before,  strenuously 
opposed  the  appointment  of  Aicimus,  though  strongly 
recommended  by  Demetrius.  This  opposition  to  his 
wishes,  induced  Demetrius  to  send  one  Bacchides  to 
enforce  the  command  of  the  king,  but  to  no  pur- 
pose. Demetrius  then  selected  Nicanor,  who  was 
master  of  his  elephants,  as  the  future  governor  of 
Judea,  with  instructions  to  kill  Judas,  and  bring  the 
people  under  still  greater  subjection.  Nicanor  was 
at  first  unwilling  to  make  war  against  Judas,  but 
being  urged  on  by  the  king,  he  pursued  it  with  fresh 
fury ;  he  boldly  declared  his  intention  to  demolish 
the  Temple  at  Jerusalem,  and  build  one  on  the  same 
spot  in  honor  of  the  idol  Bacchus.  Nicanor  was  slain 
in  the  battle,  and  his  army  entirely  routed  by  Judas 
and  his  party.  Judas,  desirous  of  making  an 
example  of  this  wicked  man,  for  his  blasphemous 


THE  JEWS  UNDER  THE  MACCABEES.        71 

words  which  he  uttered  against  the  Temple  of  the 
Lord,  cut  off  the  head  and  right  hand  of  Nicanor,  and 
placed  them  in  a  conspicuous  situation  on  one  of  the 
towers  in  Jerusalem.  Judas  then  gave  orders  that  a 
day  should  be  annually  appointed  as  a  day  of  thanks- 
giving, in  memory  of  this  victory,  which  was  called 
Nicanor' s  day.  This  day  is  not  however  celebrated 
as  a  holiday  among  the  Jews  in  the  present  genera- 
tion  ;  it  has  been  discontinued  for 'many  ages  past. 
At  this  period  the  Romans  were  growing  great 
and  powerful ;  Judas,  aware  of  the  danger  likely  to 
result  from  such  power,  deemed  it  advisable  for  the 
good  of  his  country  to  propose  a  league  with  the 
Romans,  to  which  they  readily  consented,  and  ac- 
knowledged the  Jews  as  their  friends  and  allies. 
Demetrius  then  received  orders  not  to  interfere  with 
the  Jews  any  more.  Unhappily  for  Judas  and  his 
people,  before  the  orders  had  reached  Demetrius,  ho 
had  already  despatched  Bacchides  a  second  time  to 
avenge  the  course  of  Nicanor,  who  had  been  slain, 
and  to  insist  on  establishing  Alcimus  in  the  priest- 
hood. This  circumstance  proved  very  unfortunate 
for  both  Judas  and  his  countrymen.  Judas  having 
but  three  thousand  men  with  him,  was  overpowered 
by  the  strong  forces  of  Bacchides ;  so  little  chance 
was  there  of  success  on  the  part  of  Judas,  that 
many  of  his  men  deserted  him  through  fear  and 
fright.  Judas,  brave  and  valiant  to  the  last  in 
defence  of  his  country's  cause,  and  scorning  to  flee 
even  for  his  life,  fell  a  victim  to  the  fury  of  the 
enemy. 


72  SYNOPSIS    OP   JKW18H    HISTniM  . 

The  death  of  Judas  created  great  excitement 
among  the  people,  and  sorely  depressed  their  spirits. 
They  became  absorbed  in  sorrow  an.l  in  irrief  for  the 
loss  of  their  noble  chieftain.  The  people  had  fallen 
into  such  a  state  of  lethargy,  that  they  became  an 
easy  prey  to  the  tyrant  fiacchides,  who,  taking 
advantage  of  this  state  of  things,  committed  great 
havoc  among  the  people,  and  put  to  the  sword  all  of 
Judas's  friends  and  companions  on  whom  he  could 
lay  hand. 

Alcimus  also  availed  himself  of  this  opportunity, 
and  exercised  his  authority  in  the  office  of  the 
priesthood.  He  introduced  into  the  worship  of  the 
Temple,  imitations  of  heathen  idolatry,  and  gave 
orders  that  the  sanctuary  should  be  thrown  open, 
with  equal  freedom  and  liberty,  both  to  Gentiles  and 
to  Jews.  Alcimus,  however,  did  not  long  prosper  in 
his  wicked  career;  in  a  very  short  time  he  was 
struck  with  palsy,  deprived  of  his  speech,  and  ulti- 
mately died  in  great  anguish  of  mind  and  torment 
of  body. 

After  the  death  of  Judas  Maccabees,  his  brother 
Jonathan  was  unanimously  appointed  by  the  people 
as  their  leader.  Jonathan  was  ably  assisted  by  his 
brother  Simon  ;  they  both  bravely  resisted  the  many 
inroads  made  upon  them  by  their  enemies.  Bac- 
chides  finding  himself  so  powerfully  opposed,  sued 
for  peace,  which  was  granted  on  condition  that  he 
should  restore  all  the  captive  Jews,  depart  from 
Judea  forever,  and  in  no  way  molest  the  people  of 
that  country.  These  conditions  were  cheerfully 


THE  JEWS  UNDER  THE  MACCABEES.        73 

accepted  by  Bacchides,  who  left  Judea  in  peace  and 
in  tranquility. 

Jonathan,  happy  in  having  restored  peace,  con> 
menced  to  govern  his  people  under  the  old  Jewish 
polity  ;  he  resumed  all  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of 
the  Jewish  religion,  and  succeeded  in  obtaining  the 
confidence  of  his  people  by  the  zeal  which  he  evinced 
in  the  performance  of  the  duties  of  his  office. 

After  the  death  of  Alcimus,  the  office  of  high  priest 
remained  vacant  seven  years,  when  a  man  call- 
ing himself  Alexander,  appeared,  and  declared  that 
he  was  a  son  of  Antiochus  Epiphancs.  He  seized 
the  kingdom  of  Africa,  and  solicited  Jonathan  to  join 
him  against  Demetrius,  who  had  proved  himself  a 
formidable  enemy  of  the  Jews.  As  an  inducement 
to  Jonathan,  Alexander  made  the  following  propo- 
sals to  him  :  That  Jonathan  should  be  constituted 
both  the  Governor  and  the  High  Priest  of  the  Jews, 
and  be  called  the  king's  friend  and  counselor. 

Jonathan  considering  these  proposals  likely  to  prove 
beneficial  to  his  people,  and  there  not  being  any  one 
else  for  the  priesthood,  consulted  them  on  the 
subject,  and  with  their  unanimous  consent  he  accept- 
ed the  offer  made  by  Alexander. 

At  the  following  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  Jonathan 
was  duly  installed  in  his  new  office,  and  vested  with 
the  sacerdotal  robes  usually  worn  by  the  high  priests. 
Being  thus  dignified,  he  joined  Alexander,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  battle  against  Demetrius,  whose  army  was 
totally  routed,  and  he  himself,  slain  on  the  battle 
field. 


74  SYNOPSIS    OP  JEWISH    HISTORY. 

It   is   said  that  from   this  time  forward  the  hHi 

O 

hood  continued  in  the  family  of  the  Asmone- 
ans  or  Maccabees,  till  the  days  of  Herod,  who  chan- 
.:  from  an  office  of  inheritanee  to  an  arbitrary 
appointment.  Herod  apjxiinted  those  whom  he 
pleased,  withou1  ivf.  n  n<v  to  merit  or  ability.  This 
practice  was  continued  until  the  total  extinction  of 
the  priesthood  at  the  final  destruction  ..(  the  Temple 
by  the  Romans. 

Jonathan  succeeded  by  his  judicious  conduct,  in 

Dg  for  his  people  their  possessions,  with  free 

icope  to  exercise  all  their  ivli/ious  rites,  without  any 

interruption  from  tlu-ir  neighbors.     He  occasionally 

d  his  assistance  to  those  of  the  nation^  who 

proved  kind  to  him,  by  which  means  the  bond  of 

friendship  became  strongly  cemented  between  both 

parties. 

Like  most  great  men,  Jonathan  had  his  enemies : 
_:  them  was  one  Tryphon,  who  sought  to  possess 
the  kingdom  of  Syria,  and  by  whose  treachery, 
Jonathan  was  made  prisoner  in  Ptolemais,  and  was 
afterwards  cruelly  murdered,  together  with  his  two 
sons. 

The  death  of  Jonathan  and  his  two  sons  caused 
great  lamentations  among  the  people.  Being  in  con- 
stant fear  of  their  enemies,  and  now  without  a  1< 
they  were  at  a  loss  what  to  do.  In  this  dilemma 
they  applied  to  Simon,  the  only  surviving  brother  of 
Judas,  to  become  their  chief.  Simon  consenting  to 
become  their  general,  a  council  of  war  was  called, 
at  which  meeting  he- was  unanimously  appointed  and 


THE  JEWS  UNDER  THE  MACCABEES.        75 

vested  with  power  equal  to  his  predecessors.  Simon 
having  been  regularly  installed  into  his  new  office, 
commenced  his  career  by  addressing  his  brethren  in 
the  following  manner  : 

"  You,  my  countrymen,  are  not  ignorant  how 
bravely  my  father,  brothers,  and  myself,  have  fought 
in  defence  of  our  laws  and  our  religion,  our  Temple 
and  our  people.  They  have  sacrificed  their  lives  in 
that  glorious  cause  ;  I,  only  I,  survive  to  maintain  it. 
God  forbid  I  should  value  my  life  at  a  higher  price 
than  they  did  theirs.  Behold  me  'then  as  they 
were,  to  glory  in  this  undertaking,  to  die  in  defence 
of  our  nation,  our  Temple,  our  wives  and  our 
children."  "  Take  courage  my  friends  ;  the  Lord 
is  with  us,  and  success  will  crown  our  righteous  in- 
tentions. " 

Simon  at  the  request  of  the  people,  then  assumed 
the  sacred  office  of  the  priesthood. 

Having  now  entered  into  his  new  office,  he  pro- 
cured the  dead  bodies  of  his  brother  Jonathan  and 
his  two  sons,  and  buried  them  with  great  honors  in 
the  sepulchre  of  his  fathers  at  Modin,  and  erected 
a  stately  monument  to  their  memory. 

Simon  then  repaired  the  fortresses  and  the  walls 
of  the  city,  which  had  been  destroyed  by  their  ene- 
mies, built  for  himself  a  very  splendid  mansion,  and 
made  Jerusalem  his  place  of  residence,  where  he 
held  his  court.  The  Jews  were  still  annoyed  by  the 
garrison  on  the  tower  of  Acra,  when  they  went  to 
and  returned  from  the  Temple.  Simon  succeeded 
in  shutting  up  the  enemy  so  closely  in  the  tower  that 


76  SYNOPSIS    OF  JEWISH    HISTORY. 

many  perished  from  famine,  which  made  the  survi- 
vors surrender  the  tower.  Simon  being  in  possession 
of  the  tower,  he,  with  the  sanction  of  the  people, 
pulled  it  down,  and  lowered  the  mount  in  such  a  way 
so  that  it  could  no  more  be  made  available  for  the 
purpose  of  annoying  the  people  when  assembled  at 
their  worship  in  the  Temple. 

Simon  now  turned,  his  attention  to  the  repairs  of 
the  sanctuary.  He  enforced  a  rigid  observance  of 
the  laws  of  God,  and  successfully  introduced  peace 
and  unanimity  of  feeling  among  the  people.  The 
nation  at  large,  sensible  of  the  good  conduct  of  their 
leader,  convened  a  general  meeting  of  all  the  elders, 
priests  and  magistrates  at  Jerusalem. 

At  this  meeting  it  was  unanimously  resolved,  that 
the  office  of  Governor  of  the  nation,  and  that  of  the 
high-priesthood,  should  be  henceforth  vested  perma- 
nently in  Simon  and  his  posterity  after  him,  so 
that  the  said  office  should  be  hereditary  in  his 
family  for  ever.  It  was  further  decreed  that 
an  account  of  the  noble  deeds  of  Simon  and  his 
family  should  be  engraven  on  a  tablet,  and  placed  in 
the  Temple  as  an  everlasting  memorial,  and  that  a 
copy  of  the  same  should  be  placed  on  the  records  in 
Judea.  This  excellent  priest  was  held  in  such  lii;:h 
estimation  by  all  the  surrounding  nations,  that  the 
Romans  sought  his  friendship,  entered  into  a  cove- 
nant with  him,  and  conferred  on  him  many  honors. 

The  king  of  Syria  followed  the  example  of  the 
Romans,  and  entered  into  a  similar  covenant  with 
Simon. 


THE  JEWS  UNDER  THE  MACCABEES.        77 

The  king  of  Syria,  however,  was  not  true  to  his 
covenant,  he  having  after  a  time  invaded  Judea. 
Simon  assisted  by  his  two  eldest  sons,  bravely  de- 
fended themselves,  and  drove  the  enemy  away  with 
great  discomfiture. 

Simon  continued  to  maintain  a  high  reputation  in 
his  office  for  about  eight  years.  He  was  at  all  times 
employed  in  providing  for  the  comfort  and  welfare  of 
his  people.  Simon  now  set  out  to  examine  into  the 
affairs  of  his  country,  accompanied  by  his  two  sons, 
Judas  and  Mattathias.  Having  arrived  at  Jericho, 
they  were  invited  by  Ptolemeus,  the  son-in-law  of 
Simon,  to  a  banquet  which  he  had  prepared  for  them. 
Simon  readily  accepted  this  polite  invitation  of  his 
relative,  not  suspecting  in  the  least  any  treachery  on 
the  part  of  Ptolemeus,  who  had  already  concerted 
his  plans  with  the  court  of  Syria  to  destroy  his 
father-in-law  and  his  two  sons  who  w.ere  then  with 
him.  While  the  guests  were  indulging  at  the  ban- 
quet, Simon  and  his  two  sons  were-  inhumanly  mur- 
dered by  order  of  Ptolemeus.  He  then  dispatched 
a  party  to  the  residence  of  John,  another  son  of 
Simon,  who  was  captain  of  the  forces  at  Judea,  with 
orders  to  murder  him  also.  John  fortunately  gained 
intelligence  of  all  that  had  occurred  at  Jericho  to 
his  father  and  brothers,  as  also  the  plot  laid  for  him. 
He  courageously  and  bravely  defended  himself,  and 
cut  to  pieces  the  enemy. 

John  then  fled  to  Jerusalem  for  safety.  Ptoleme- 
us followed  him,  and  arriving  at  the  same  time,  they 
both  presented  themselves  at  different  gates.  From 


78  SYNOPSIS    OF  JEWISH    HISTORY. 

the  respect  the  people  had  for  Simon  and  his  ances- 
tors, John  was  received  by  the  people  with  open 
arms,  whilst  the  murderer  of  Simon  and  his  two  sons, 
was  repulsed  with  all  his  followers.  J»lm  was  then 
unanimously  appointed  to  succeed  his  father,  both  in 
the  government  and  the  priesthood.  He  was  then 
surnamed  Hyrcanus,  and  henceforward  known  by  the 
name  of  John  Hyrcanus. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

Of  the  Jewish  affaire  under  the  conduct  of  the  posterity  and  successors  of 
Simon  the  Maccabce. 

Antiochus  Sidetes,  being  informed  of  the  death  of 
Simon,  and  being  invited  by  Ptolemeus,  invaded 
Judea  again,  besieged  Jerusalem,  and  reduced 
Hyrcanus  and  the  Jews  to  the  last  extremity  of 
famine.  Ilyrcanus  then  sued  for  peace,  which  was 
granted  on  the  condition  of  paying  certain  tributes 
to  the  king,  and  removing  the  fortifications  of  Jeru- 
salem. A  few  years  after,  Antiochus  died,  which  occa- 
sioned great  confusion  among  the  surrounding  na- 
tions ;  Hyrcanus  took  advantage  of  this  to  enlarge  his 
territories,  by  seizing  some  neighboring  towns  round 
about  Judea,  and  renounced  all  further  dependence 
on  the  kings  of  Syria.  Ilyrcanus  then  renewed  the 
friendship  originally  made  by  his  father  with  the 
Romans,  who  assisted  him  in  being  released  from  the 
tribute  paid  to  the  Syrians ;  at  the  same  time  he 
received  a  compensation  from  them  for  former  inju- 
ries done  by  them  to  the  Jews. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  the  Edomites,  or  Idum- 


X^TB  R  Alfyr5*^ 

OP  THE  ^ 

f  UNIVERSITY  1 


80  8TNOPSI3   Or  JEWISH    HISTORY. 

eans,  lived  on  the  south  side  of  Judea.  Hyrcanus 
proposed  to  them  either  to  embrace  Judaism  or  leave 
the  country.  The  Edoraites  readily  acquiesced,  and 
became  Jews.  They  ultimately  became  so  incorpo- 
rated among  the  Jews,  that  in  less  than  two  centuries 
scarcely  any  trace  or  character  was  left  to  signalize 
the  Edomite  nation. 

Hyrcanus's  power  being  thus  increased  by  the 
ad-lit  ion  of  these  Edomites,  he  turned  his  attention 
to  the  Samaritans.  He  marched  with  his  army  and 
took  Shechem,  which  was  then  the  chief  seat  of  .the 
Samaritan  sect;  he  destroyed  their  Temple  whirh 
Sanballat  had  built  for  them  on  Mount  Gerizim.  The 
Samaritans,  however,  continued  to  keep  the  altar 
there,  and  to  offer  sacrifices  thereon. 

Hyrcanus  became  master  of  Samaria,  ruled  in 
Judea,  in  Galilee,  and  in  some  of  the  adjacent 
towns ;  he  proved  himself  one  of  the  noble  princes 
of  his  age ;  he,  with  great  perseverance,  preserved 
both  the  Jewish  church  and  the  state  from  the 
power  of  their  enemies,  throughout  a  long  and  tedi- 
ous government.  He  was  so  highly  esteemed  among 
the  people,  that  they  believed  him  to  be  a  prophet, 
from  the  fact  that  he  had  predicted  one  or  two 
things  which  eventually  came  to  pass.  He  built  the 
castle  Bari*  on  a  rock  about  fifty  cubits  high,  outside 
the  square  of  the  Temple ;  this  was  used  as  the 
palace  of  the  Asmonean  princes  in  Jerusalem,  and 
here  the  sacred  robes  of  the  high  priest  were  de- 
posited when  they  were  not  in  use. 

Toward  the  close  of  his  life,  Hyrcanus  experienced 


UNDER  THE  SUCCESSORS  OF  THE  MACCABEES.      81 

severe  troubles  ;  his  claim  to  the  priesthood  was 
questioned  by  a  bold  and  daring  man,  one  of  the 
Pharisees,  of  whom  we  shall  speak  hereafter  in 
the  course  of  the  work,  as  also  of  the  different  other 
sects  which  sprang  up  in  those  days. 

Hyrcanus,  supposing  that  this  bold  man  repre- 
sented the  whole  body  of  the  Pharisees,  without 
even  inquiring  into  the  matter,  immediately  re- 
nounced the  Pharisees,  and  rashly  joined  the  sect 
called  Sadducees.  This  hasty  conclusion  of  Hyrca- 
nus, considerably  lessened  that  love  and  esteem  in 
which  the  people  had  previously  held  him.  The 
Pharisees  felt  indignant  at  the  conduct  of  Hyrcanus 
in  this  instance ;  and  forgetting  all  former  favora 
received  at  his  hands,  proved  very  ungrateful  toward 
him.  They  became  arrogant  and  mutinous,  which 
caused  Hyrcanus  entirely  to  desert  their  party,  and 
even  refused  to  meet  them  any  more.  Many  civil 
broils  and  troubles  ensued,  which  sorely  embittered 
the  declining  life  of  Hyrcanus,  an.d  he  died  during 
the  following  year. 

Hyrcanus  had  been  in  office  nearly  thirty  years, 
during  which  time  his  wisdom  and  counsel  at  home, 
and  his  bravery  and  conquests  abroad,  marked  his 
reign  one  of  glory  and  happiness.  The  common- 
wealth recovered  more  of  its  glory  during  his  gov- 
ernment, than  at  .any  other  period  since  the  return 
from  Babylon.  It  is  generally  supposed  that  his 
death  was  hastened  by  the  troubles  which  began  to 
surround  him. 

Hyrcanus    had    five    sons ;    the   eldest,   named 
E 


82  MNOPSIS    OF   .11  \YIMI    IIIMQRT. 

Aristobulus,  succeeded   his   father  as   high   priot 
and  governor  in  Jud.  hen  took  upon  himself 

the  title  of  king,  which  had  fallen  into  disuse  since 
the  Babylonish  captivi; 

Aristobulus  did  not  follow  the  good  example  of 
his  noble  father.  We  are  informed  how  ho  became 
the  murderer  of  his  mother  ;  it  having  hem  ivp<«. 
that  she  laid  claim  to  the  government.  Three  of  his 
brothers  he  put  into  close  confinement,  and  the 
fourth,  who  was  even  his  favorite,  he  had  put  to 
death  owing  to  a  false  report  hemi:  raised  that  he 
would  oppose  him  in  the  government. 

Aristobulus  now  fixed  his  household  and  other 
affairs,  according  to  his  own  wishes.  He  then  put 
himself  at  the  head  of  his  army,  attacked  and  sub- 
dued the  Itureans  who  lived  on  the  north-east  of  tin- 
land  of  Galilee.  Having  the  people  thus  in  his 
power,  he  compelled  them  to  embrace  the  Jewish 
religion,  which  they  did  out  of  fear,  and  thus  became 
mixed  among  the  people  of  Israel.  In  the  midst  of 
all  these  victories,  Aristobulus  was  taken  sick  and 
brought  to  Jerusalem.  Antigonus,  one  of  his  broth- 
ers, acted  in  his  &:< 

Aristobulus  continued  dangerously  sick,  and  there 
appeared  but  little  hope  of  his  recovery.  This  being 
apparent  to  the  king's  courtiers,  who  were  jealous  of 
Antigonus,  they  endeavored  to  persuade  the  king 
that  his  brother  was  not  faithful  to  him.  In  this 
intrigue  they  were  supported  by  the  queen. 

On  the  return  of  Antigonus  to  Jerusalem,  he 
repaired  to  the  Temple,  there  to  return  thanks  to 


UNDER  THE  SUCCESSORS  OF  THE  MACCABEES.   83 

God  for  his  success,  and  to  pray  for  the  recovery  of 
his  sick  brother.  Whilst  thus  piously  engaged,  it 
was  represented  to  the  king  that  his  brother  was 
attempting  to  usurp  the  government,  which  the  king 
too  readily  received  as  truth,  from  the  statements 
previously  made  to  him,  and  gave  orders  for  his 
brother  to  appear  in  the  sick  chamber.  Antigo- 
nus  obeyed,  and  attended  in  full  uniform.  The 
kin"  then  desired  him  to  unrobe.  This  command 

O 

was  given  in  such  a  tone,  as  to  assure  him  that  a 
refusal  would  be  considered  as  treason,  and  punished 
accordingly. 

Antigonus  retired,  much  degraded  and  sorely 
perplexed  as  to  the  cause.  The  queen,  who,  wo 
have  already  noticed  was  in  the  conspiracy,  then 
wrote  to  him  that  the  king  had  changed  his  mind  and 
that  he  wished  to  see  him  in  his  uniform,  having 
been  told  of  the  beauty  of  his  armour.  Antigonus 
accordingly  repaired  in  full  dress  to  the  palace,  and 
on  his  way  to  the  king's  chamber,  he  was  slain  by  the 
guard.  This  assassination  of  Antigonus,  caused 
the  king  to  reflect  with  keen  remorse,  both  on 
account  of  this  murder,  as  well  as  that  of  hia 
mother.  His  mind  became  sorely  agitated,  which 
brought  on  a  vomiting  of  blood,  so  that  he  died  in 
great  agony  of  both  body  and  mind. 

Thus  ended  the  life  of  him,  who  is  handed  down 
to  posterity  as  one  of  the  most  wretched  beings 
recorded  in  the  annals  of  Jewish  history  ;  and  it  is 
worthy  of  notice  how  God  punishes  the  wicked.  He 
who  had  shed  so  much  innocent  blood,  that  his  own 


84  SYNOPSIS    OF  JEWISH    HISTORY. 

blood  was  made  to  flow  from  him  until  he  breathe  -.1 

his  last  ;  an  example  as  well  as  a  warning  to  those 

who  were  in  the  service  of  this  wicked  man.  and  who 

the  same  sinful  career  as  their  cruel 


A  ristobulus  was  succeeded  by  his  brother  Alex- 
ander ;  he  began  his  reign  by  putting  his  brother  to 
death,  because  of  some  attempt  to  supplant  him  in 
the  government.  Alexander  immediately  set  about 
arranging  all  matters  relating  to  the  home  depart- 
in*  nt.  and  then  commenced  to  attack  his  neighbors 
around  him  without  any  reserve. 

At  this  time  Ptolemy  Lathyrus  was  heir  to  the 
crown  of  Egypt;  Alexander  behaved  very  deceit- 
fully toward  him,  which  caused  much  enmity  and  ill 
feeling  to  exist  on  both  sides  ;  and  the  result  was,  a 
very  severe  battle  between  them,  near  the  river 
Jordan.  Alexander  and  his  army  were  completely 
routed,  with  the  loss  of  about  thirty  thousand 
men. 

There  is  a  very  cruel  and  barbarous  action  charg- 
ed to  Lathyrus  on  this  occasion.  On  the  evening 
after  the  victory,  he  marched  his  men  from  the  field 
of  battle  to  take  up  quarters  in  the  adjacent  villages, 
which  were  all  crowded  with  the  wives  and  children 
of  the  vanquished  army.  He  gave  orders  to  kill  all 
of  them,  without  any  distinction  ;  their  bodies  to  be 
cut  in  pieces  and  boiled  in  cauldrons.  It  is  suppos- 
ed that  he  did  this  with  a  view  of  creating  terror 
among  all  the  surrounding  nations,  and  to  cause  a 
belief  that  his  men  fed  on  human  flesh.  After  this, 


UNDER  THE  SUCCESSORS  OF  THE  MACCABEES.      85 

Lathyrus  ranged  at  liberty  all  over  the  country, 
plundering  and  destroying  it  in  a  very  lamentable 
manner ;  for  Alexander  after  this  battle,  was  not  in 
a  condition  to  resist  him. 

In  this  dilemma,  Alexander  fortunately  met  with 
assistance  from  Cleopatra,  the  queen  of  Egypt. 
Cleopatra,  fearing  lest  Lathyrus,  her  eldest  son, 
should  become  possessed  of  Judea,  and  might  be 
induced  to  take  Egypt  out  of  her  hands,  agreed 
with  her  youngest  son  to  support  Alexander. 

Alexander,  encouraged  by  such  offers  of  support, 
resumed  his  courage,  besieged  many  places,  and 
gained  the  fortress  of  Gadara  and  Anathus,  toward 
Galilee,  together  with  much  treasure  ;  but  he  was 
surprised  by  Theodorus,  prince  of  Philadelphia,  who 
had  laid  up  that  treasure  there,  with  the  loss  of  ten 
thousand  men.  Yet  being  a  man  of  courage  and 
diligence,  Alexander  assembled  his  men  and  suc- 
ceeded in  taking  the  city  of  Gaza  from  the  Phil- 
istines, who  were  entirely  defeated  by  his  army. 
He  took  possession  -  of  the  chief  cities,  and  made 
them  part  of  his  own  dominions.  The  Philistines 
being  thus  subdued,  were  glad  to  embrace  Judaism 
as  a  protection  from  further  inroads.  It  appears  to 
have  now  become  a  custom  with  the  Asmonean 
princes  to  impose  their  religion  on  all  the  conquered, 
leaving  them  no  other  choice  but  to  become  prose- 
lytes or  to  be  banished. 

Alexander  was  not,  however,  well  supported  by 
his  own  people,  many  of  them  being  opposed  to  him. 


86  SYNOPSIS  OP  JEWISH   HISTORY. 

These  were  chiefly  of  the  Pharisees,  who  were  verv 
numerous  and   influential,  and   were  supported  hy  a 

.re  body  of  their  class,  who  \\  n  rxcited  to  such 
a  degree,  th:it  they  insulted  Alexander,  while  at  the 
altar  performing  the  duties  de\  -Ivim:  upon  him  as 
high  priest. 

Alexander,  enraged  at  such  conduct  by  his  own 
people,  sought  to  bo  revenged,  and  appointed  his 
own  body  guard  from  the  heathen  nations,  fearing 
to  trust  himself  in  the  hands  of  his  own  people. 
This  act  brought  on  a  civil  war  which  lasted  six 
years  ;  it  was  the  cause  of  much  grief  and  calamity 
throughout  the  land,  and  occasioned  the  death  of 
about  fifty  thousand  people.  Though  Alexander 
gained  many  victories  over  his  enemies,  yet  he  be- 
came much  weakened  from  their  continual  attacks  : 
he  at  length  sued  for  peace,  offering  the  people  to 
grant  them  whatever  they  would  reasonably  desire. 
But  so  embittered  were  the  people  against  him,  that 
they  declared  nothing  would  satisfy  them  but  his  life. 
This  reply  on  their  part,  aggravated  the  cause,  and 
the  war  was  continued  still  more  rigorously  on  both 
sides.  As  all  mundane  affairs  must  have  an  end, 
Alexander  after  having  encountered  many  severe 
conflicts,  at  last  gained  one  great  battle,  which  con- 
cluded this  protracted  war.  Numbers  of  his  ene- 
mies fell  victims  to  his  fury,  while  others  were 
driven  to  the  city  of  Bethome,  and  there  were 
•ged.  Alexander  having  taken  the  place,  he 
had  eight  hundred  of  the  people  carried  to  Jerusa- 
lem, and  there  had  them  all  slain  in  one  day, 


UNDER  THE  SUCCESSORS  OF  THE  MACCABEES.      87 

together  with  their  wives  and  children.  This  act  of 
Alexander's  terrified  the  Jews  to  such  an  extent  that 
they  never  again  attempted  any  insurrection.  We 
cannot  however  refrain  from  observing  here,  that 
however  provoked  Alexander  might  have  been,  he 
justly  merited  by  this  cruel  conduct  the  reproach  of 
after  ages  ;  -  such  conduct  being  incompatible  with 
his  dignified  station  as  high  priest,  in  whose  heart 
nought  but  peace  and  humanity  should  ever  find 
place. 

Alexander,  like  most  cruel  monarchs  after  having 
satiated  thoir  lust  for  blood,  gave  himself  up  to 
very  inordinate  luxuries,  which  in  the  end  produced 
an  attack  of  ague,  very  severe  in  its  character. 
This  disease  ultimately  proved  fatal  to  Alexander, 
who  died  in  the  camp  while  he  was  besieging  a  castle 
of  the  Gerasenes  beyond  Jordan.  Alexander  reign- 
ed twenty-seven  years  ;  he  left  two  sons,  Hyrcanus 
and  Aristobulus ;  he  bequeathed  the  government  to 
his  wife  Alexandra,  during  her  life  time,  and  to  be 
disposed  of  at  her  death  to  which  of  her  sons  she 
pleased.  Alexandra  in  a  flood  of  tears,  expressed 
to  her  dying  husband  her  justly  apprehended  diva -I 
of  the  Pharisees,  who  had  grown  into  a  powerful 
party  at  that  time  in  Jerusalem.  Alexander  listened 
to  his  wife  with  considerable  emotion,  while  he 
employed  his  last  moments  in  contriving  an  expedi- 
ent for  the  removal  of  her  fears.  The  dying  man 
then  addressed  his  wife  in  the  following  words  : 

"  Alexandra,  you  are  not  unacquainted  with  the 
"  cause  of  our  mutual  enmity.  I  am  well  convinced 


•s^  »rsis  OF  .IK  wisn 


"  that  your  security  and  happiness,  when  1  am  dead. 
44  must  rise  or  fall,  as  you  make  them  your  friends  or 
44  your  foes.  1  y.»u,  therefore,  to  keep  my 

44  death  a  secret  from  the  army,  till  they  have  taken 
k-  the  fort,  then  lead  them  in  triumph  to  Jerusalem  ; 
44  carry  my  body  with  you,  and  aa  soon  as  you  arrive 
44  assemble  the  heads  and  the  leaders  of  that  party, 
44  and  lay  it  before  them  ;  tell  them  you  submit  it 
44  wholly  to  them,  after  the  injuries  it  had  done  them, 
44  to  give  it  burial,  or  cast  it  ignominiously  on  the 
44  highway  ;  as  for  your  part,  you  are  devoted  to 
44  them,  they  shall  always  be  your  first  advisors,  at 
"the  head  of  your  counoil  ;  you  will  do  nothing 
44  without  their  consent  and  approbation  ;  begin 
44  instantly  to  show  them  some  marks  of  your  favor 
44  and  friendship,  upon  which  they  will  order  my 
44  body  a  royal  burial,  and  they  will  support  you  and 
44  your  sons  in  the  peaceful  enjoyment  of  the  kinn- 
"dom." 

Alexandra  followed  the  advice  of  her  husband, 
and  kept  his  death  a  secret  from  the  world,  till  the 
castle  was  taken.  She  then  led  the  army  back  to 
Jerusalem,  and  gave  the  body  of  her  deceased  hus- 
band to  the  Pharisees,  to  act  with  it  as  they  pleased, 
at  the  same  time  declared  herself  ready  to  be  guided 
by  them  in  the  management  of  all  the  affairs  of  the 
»ment.  This  declaration  on  the  part  of  Alex- 
andra, gained  for  her  the  confidence  of  the  Phari- 
sees, who  granted  to  her  late  husband  an  honorable 
funeral. 

Alexandra  thus  enjoying  the  good  opinion  of  the 


UNDER  THE  SUCCESSORS  OF  THE  MACCABEKS.      89 

Pharisees,  assumed  the  government,  enlisted  herself 
under  their  banner,  and  became  firmly  and  peaceably 
settled  on  the  throne ;  she  then  invested  Hyrcanus, 
her  eldest  son,  with  the  office  of  high  priest. 
Alexandra,  at  the  request  of  a  party  of  the  Phari- 
sees, gave  her  consent  to  punish  all  the  persons  who 
had  counselled  her  late  husband  to  behave  so  cruelly 
to  the  mass  of  the  people ;  these  men  were  in  their 
turn  put  to  death  by  the  Pharisees.  The  queen  was 
induced  to  adopt  this  medium  in  order  to  prevent  any 
further  civil  wars ;  the  evil  consequences  of  which 
she  had  so  sadly  experienced,  and  which,  there- 
fore, she  was  so  desirous  to  avoid. 

Alexandra  having  reigned  nine  years,  died  in  the 
seventy-third  year  of  her  age  ;  leaving  by  her  will, 
the  whole  of  the  government  to  her  eldest  son,  Hyr- 
canus, who  was  then  the  high  priest.  He  is  known 
in  history  by  Hyrcanus  the  second.  He  was  bred 
and  trained  in  the  schools  of  the  Pharisees,  and 
consequently  influenced  by  their  tutorage. 

Hyrcaims  did  not  long  enjoy  his  new  office.  Aris- 
tobulus,  his  younger  brother,  perceiving  that  the 
people  and  the  army  were  weary  of  the  administra- 
tion of  the  Pharisees,  raised  an  army  against  his 
brother  Hyrcanus,  and  marched  them  on  to  the  plains 
of  Jericho.  A  desperate  battle  was  fought,  Hyrca- 
nus was  put  to  flight,  and  the  remainder  of  his  forces 
joined  those  of  Aristobulus.  Hyrcanus  in  this 
dilemma,  went  to  Jerusalem,  shut  himself  up  with  a 
small  party  in  the  citadel,  and  appeared  happy  to 
accept  any  terms  in  order  to  procure  peace. 


00  il  \\  is n    HISTORT. 

Aristobulus  then  deprived  his  brother  of  both  the 
regal  and  pontifical  dignities,  coramandini:  the  same 
to  be  resigned  to  him,  which  havin-  horn  <l<>ne,  Hyr- 
i-.is  was  expelled  the  capital,  and  compelled  to  re- 
tire into  private  life.  Hyrcanus,  being  of  a  peaceful 
disposition,  made  no  resistance,  although  he  had 
enjoyed  his  regal  honors  but  three  months. 

Aristobulus  then  ascen«l  -1  the  throne  of  his  fat  her, 
but  he  did  not  prove  so  happy  on  it  as  he  had  anti- 
cipated, as  we  shall  learn  from  the  following  circum- 
stance. An  Idumean  named  Antipatcr,  who  was 
brought  up  in  the  court  of  Alexander  with  1  lyreanus, 
advised  him  to  seek  assistance  at  the  hands  of  Aretas, 
the  king  of  Arabia,  and  not  quietly  suffer  himself  to 
be  so  easily  vanquished.  Hyrcanus,  acting  on  the 
advice  of  Antipater,  applied  to  Aretas,  who  immedi- 
ately headed  an  army  to  espouse  the  cause  of  Hyr- 
canus. An  obstinate  battle  took  place  in  which 
Aristobulus  was  totally  defeated,  driven  into  the 
mountains,  and  there  sorely  besieged. 

At  this  time  there  lived  at  Jerusalem,  a  very  pious 
man  named  Onias.  He  was  so  much  esteemed  and 
beloved  by  the  people  for  his  true  piety  and  virtue, 
that  it  was  generally  believed,  that  at  the  instance 
of  this  good  man's  prayers,  the  Almighty  had  sent 
rain  from  heaven  in  a  season  of  great  drought.  The 
people  imagining  that  he  possessed  a  similar  power 
in  cursing  as  well  as  blessing,  prayed  to  him  to  curse 
Aristobulus  and  all  his  party.  This  good  man  weary 
of  their  importunities,  and  anxious  if  possible  to 
satisfy  their  wishes,  raised  his  hands  towards  heaven 


IM)ER  THE  SUCCESSORS  OF  THE  MACCABEES.      91 

in  prayer,  of  which  the  following  is  said  to  be  a 
copy: 

"  0  God  of  the  universe,  since  those  that  are  with 
us  are  thy  people,  and  they  that  are  besieged  in  the 
Temple  are  thy  priests,  I  pray  that  thou  wouldst 
hear  the  prayers  of  neither  of  them  against  each 
other." 

The  multitude,  disappointed  at  the  good  man's 
prayer,  cruelly  murdered  him  on  the  spot. 

This  circumstance  tended  to  increase  the  enmity 
between  both  parties,  and  provoked  a  warfare  be- 
tween the  two  brothers  and  their  parties. 

The  two  brothers  ultimately  agreed  with  each 
other  to  lay  the  matter  before  Pompey,  the  Roman 
general,  for  his  decision.  The  mass  of  the  people, 
however,  were  not  satisfied  with  this  plan  of  appeal- 
ing to  the  Roman  general,  and  declared  that  they 
would  not  be  ruled  by  princes,  but  by  God's,  priests. 
The  appeal  was  made  to  Pompey,  who  did  not  feel 
disposed  to  give  an  immediate  decision.  Aristobu- 
lus  availed  himself  of  this  opportunity,  and  prepared 
himself  for  a  fresh  war.  Pompey  hearing  this,  im- 
mediately seized  Aristobulus  in  one  of  his  castles, 
and  confined  him  in  prison.  He  then  marched  his 
army  in  front  of  Jerusalem ;  a  division  within  weak- 
ened its  power,  the  two  opposite  parties  contending. 
At  length  Hyrcanus's  party  prevailed  and  threw  open 
the  gates  of  the  city.  The  adherents  to  Aristobu- 
lus retreated  and  fortified  themselves  in  the  Temple, 
and  on  Mount  Moriah.  Pompey  and  his  army 
marched  through  the  city,  and  laid  close  Beige  to  the 


SYNOPSIS  <•»  JEWISH  BOTOBT, 

Temple.  The  Jews  held  out  for  three  months ;  at 
length  a  huge  tower  was  thrown  down,  and  a  hivaeh 
was  made  largo  enough  for  an  assault ;  the  place  was 
taken  sword  in  hand,  anil  so  li,  the  battle, 

that  more  than  twelve  thousand  persons  were  slain. 

It  has  heen  remarked  by  historians,  "how  is  it 
possible  that  so  strong  a  place  could  have  been  taken 
in  so  short  a  time  ?"  The  cause  of  this  easy  victory 
on  the  part  of  the  Romans  was,  in  consequence  of 
the  Jews  having  suffered  the  enemy  to  prepare  their 
war  machines  on  the  Sahbath  day  undisturbed,  not- 
withstanding the  agreement  made  in  the  days  of 
Judas  Maccabees,  that  they  should  defend  themselves 
if  attacked  on  the  Sabbath  day. 

Pompey  then  entered  the  holy  edifice,  and  being 
overawed  by  some  religious  prepossession,  refrained 
from  defiling  any  of  the  sacred  vessels,  nor  did  he 
attempt  to  touch  about  two  thousand  talents  of  gold, 
which  were  laid  up  for  the  service  of  God's  Holy- 
Temple.  On  the  contrary,  Pompey  ordered  the 
Temple  to  be  purified,  and  on  the  very  next  day,  its 
usual  services  were  resumed.  Thus  an  end  was  put 
to  the  very  serious  quarrel  and  contention  between 
the  two  brothers. 

It*  may  be  worthy  of  notice,  that  though  this 
Roman  general  was  not  disposed  to  plunder  the 
sacred  property  of  the  Temple  on  this  occasion,  yet 
it  escaped  not  foe  avarice  and  covetousness  of 
another  Roman  general.  Crassus,  when  he  became 
Governor  of  Judea  instead  of  Gabinius,  plundered 
the  Temple,  and  carried  off  the  solid  beams  of  gold, 


UNDER  THE  SUCCESSORS  OF  THE  MACCABEES.       93 

magnificent  vessels,  utensils  and  golden  tables,  and 
all  the  beautiful  hangings,  which  adorned  the  Holy 
of  Holies.  This  wicked  man's  sacrilege  did  not  pass 
unpunished,  for  when  he  was  in  an  engagement  with 
the  Parthians,  he  was  defeated,  and  met  with  his 
death,  and  as  a  mark  of  infamy,  his  head  was  cut 
oft',  and  molten  gold  was  poured  down  his  throat,  to 
show  to  the  people  how  much  benefit  the  gold  was  to 
him  which  he  took  from  the  holy  Temple. 

Pompey  now  demolished  the  walls  of  Jerusalem, 
slew  many  of  the  chief  supporters  of  Aristobulus, 
and  restored  Hyrcanus  to  the  office  of  high  priest, 
and  made  him  also  the  Governor,  but  under  tribute 
to  the  Romans. 

Aristobulus  and  his  sons  were  carried"  prisoners  to 
Rome,  whence  they  escaped  after  a  time,  and  made 
several  attempts  to  regain  their  former  position,  but 
without  success. 

It  may  fairly  be  concluded  that  in  consequence  of 
the  civil  broils  between  Aristobulus  and  his  brother 
Hyrcanus,  the  Jewish  nationality  became  very  much 
shaken,  and  ultimately  produced  the  total  ruin  of 
both  Jerusalem  and  the  whole  of  Judea.  At  this 
time  the  regal  power  was  arrested,  and  enjoyed  by 
the  Romans.  The  sovereign  authority  had  hitherto 
descended  with  the  priesthood  ;  although  at  different 
periods  already  mentioned,  the  Jews  were  subject  to 
the  several  strange  powers  who  had  become  their 
masters. 

The  enemies  of  the  Jews  did  not  seem  to  be  satis- 
fied with  their  already  degraded  state;  but  every 


'.M  STNOl'SIS   OF  .ir.Wlsn    HT8TOBT. 

exertion  must  be  made  to  crush  them  still  more,  by 
even  preventing  them  from  attending  and  i .raving  to 
the  God  of  their  fathers.  This  infliction  appears  to 
f>een  far  more  grievous  to  the  nation  at  lar^e, 
than  all  the  worldly  persecutions  which  could  possihlv 
have  been  invented  against  them. 

After  a  short  time.  (I.ihinius,  a  Roman  general, 
passed  through  Judca  on  an  expedition,  lie  took 
upon  himself  to  reduce  the  power  of  Ilyreanus,  and 
made  new  arrangements  relating  to  the  Sanhedrim  or 
Jewish  Senate. 

All  these  differences  were  however,  very  happily 
settled  in  a  short  time  by  Julius  Caesar,  \\h<».  \\hen 
Emperor  of  Rome,  listened  to  the  petition  of  Hyrca- 
nus,  and  granted  him  permission  to  rebuild  the  walls 
of  Jerusalem.  This  enabled  Hyrcanus  to  resume 
the  former  friendship  between  the  Jews  and  the 
Romans,  who  passed  a  unanimous  decree  in  their 
favor. 

During  this  time,  Antipater,  who  had  encouraged 
Hyrcanus  in  the  recovery  of  the  government  of 
Judea,  was  in  the  employ  of  Julius  Caesar.  Anti- 
pater  was  appointed  Lieutenant  of  Judea,  by  Julius 
Caesar,  under  Hyrcanus,  who  was  now  in  full  power 
both  in  the  government  and  the  priesthood.  The 
eldest  son  of  Antipater  was  made  Governor  of  Jeru- 
salem, while  his  second  son  Herod,  was  made  Gover- 
nor of  Judea.  This  Herod  became  after  a  time,  great 
in  power,  as  we  shall  hereafter  read  of  him.  He 
was  called  Herod  the  Great,  and  became  King  of 
Judea.  Antipater  did  not  long  enjoy  his  office. 


UNDER  THE  SUCCESSORS  OF  THE  MA.CCABEES.      95 

Malichus,  who  envied  him  his  position,  had  Antipa- 
ter  poisoned.  Herod  having  discovered  this,  ob- 
tained permission  of  the  Roman,  general  to  have 
Malichus  captured  and  put  to  death  as  a  murderer. 

Pacorus,  the  Parthian  general,  was  at  this  time  at 
war  with  the  Romans.  By  some  treachery  or  other, 
Hyrcanus,  and  his  eldest  son  Phasael,  camo  into 
the  custody  of  Pacorus ;  Jerusalem  was  taken,  and 
Antigonus  appointed  Ruler  in  Judea.  Hyrcanus 
and  his  son  were  delivered  over  to  him  in  chains 
and  made  prisoners.  Herod,  however,  had  made 
his  escape.  Phasael,  weary  of  his  existence  in 
prison,  put  an  end  to  his  own  life.  Hyrcanus  had 
both  his  ears  lopped  off,  in  order  to  disqualify  him 
for  the  priesthood  ;  he  was  then  banished  the  country 
to  prevent  him  appearing  against  Antigonus. 

Herod,  in  the  mean  time,  repaired  to  Rome,  to 
lodge  his  complaint,  and  fully  to  report  all  that  had 
happened.  Herod  was  well  received  by  Mark  An- 
tony and  Octavius,  who  governed  Rome  at  that  time, 
owing  to  the  death  of  Julius  Caesar,  who  was  slain 
in  the  Senate  House  at  Rome. 

Herod's  report  having  been  properly  accredited, 
he  was  immediately  appointed  King  of  Judea,  l»y 
full  consent  of  the  Roman  Senate. 


C  IIAPTER    X. 

Of  the  Gorcminmt  of  Hcnxl  the  Great  and  hit  posterity  over  Israel. 

od,  having  received  his  appointment,  returned 
to  Judea.  The  first  thing  which  engaged  his  atten- 
tion, was  the  releasing  of  his  mother,  who  had  been 
imprisoned  by  Antigonus.  Herod  now  declared  war 
against  Antigonus,  and  with  the  assistance  of  the 
Roman  legions,  he  besieged  Antigonus  in  Jerusalem. 

While  preparations  were  being  made  to  carry  on 
the  siege,  Herod  went  to  Samaria,  and  there  man-inl 
Mariamne,  the  grand-daughter  of  Hyrcanus  the 
second,  a  descendant  of  the  valiant  and  noble  race 
of  the  Asmoneans.  Mariamne  was  a  lady  of  exqui- 
site beauty  and  great  virtue,  and  thus  highly  calcu- 
lated to  dignify  the  lofty  position  she  was  about  to 
fill  as  a  queen  hi  Israel.  She  inherited  all  the  piety 
and  goodness  of  her  ancestors,  who  were  justly  es- 
teemed ornaments  to  the  Jewish  nation.  Herod, 
sensible  of  this,  was  the  more  anxious  for  the  alliance, 
in  the  hope  of  endearing  himself  to  the  great  body 
of  the  people. 

Herod,  successful  in  his  suit,  returned  to  the  siege 


GOVERNMENT  OF  HEROD  THE  GREAT.       97 

at  Jerusalem,  and  took  it  by  storm  after  six  months' 
hard  struggle.  Antigonus  was  taken  prisoner  by 
the  Romans,  who  sent  him  to  Antioch ;  he  was  after- 
wards put  to  death  by  Mark  Antony,  at  the  instance 
of  Herod  the  Great. 

The  death  of  Antigonus  concluded  the  race  of  the 
Maccabees,  who  had  held  the  government  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty  years. 

The  possession  of  Jerusalem,  together  with  the 
death  of  Antigonus,  established  Herod  upon  the 
Jewish  throne. 

Herod  commenced  his  reign  in  bloodshed,  as  the 
only  way  open  to  establish  himself.  The  parti/ans 
of  Antigonus  fell  easy  victims  to  Herod's  cruelty. 
These  were  all  the  counselors  of  the  great  Sanhedrim, 
excepting  the  two  celebrated  and  learned  divines  and 
disputants,  Hillel  and  Shamai.  These  two  influen- 
tial men  induced  the  people  to  receive  Herod  as  their 
King,  not  for  the  love  they  entertained  for  him,  but, 
because  they  foresaw  the  mischief  which  would  have 
resulted  from  any  opposition  on  their  part.  Herod 
now  appointed  one  Ananelus,  a  descendant  of  the 
house  of  Aaron  as  the  high  priest.  He  was  not  of 
very  high  rank,  but  rather  of  obscure  origin,  trained 
far  off  in  Babylon  ;  he  was  therefore  suited  for 
Herod,  as  not  likely  to  oppose  any  of  his  designs 
which  lie  might  form  in  Judea.  • 

Mariamne,  the  wife  of  Herod,  considering  that  the 
priesthood  belonged  to  her  family,  prevailed  on  her 
husband  to  remove  Ananelus,  and  place  her  brother 
in  his  stead.  The  <|iicen's  brother  was  at  this  time 


98  STNOPSI8    OF  JEWISH 


only  seventeen  years  of  age  ;  still,  he  was  appointed 
hiirh  priest  l»y  Herod,  because  of  his  wife's  imp'rui- 
nitk-s.  though  much  against  his  own  will. 

Hyrcanus,  who  was  in  banishment  among  the 
Parthians  iluring  many  years,  hearing  of  the  advanee- 
mcnt  of  Herod,  and  his  marriage  with  his  grand- 
daiiirhter,  felt  a  desire  to  return  to  Jerusalem,  anti- 
cipating a  kind  welcome  at  the  hands  of  Herod, 
on  account  of  the  family  alliance  which  now  so  closely 
united  them. 

•anus,  arriving  at  Jerusalem,  was  receivi 
Herod  with  all  the  appearance  of  pleasure  and 
faction.     But  a  short  time  after,  Herod  faneied  that 
Hyrcanus,   being  of  the  Asmoncan   family,   mi  -lit 
one  day  or  other,  take  the  kingdom  from  him,  al- 
though Hyrcanus  was  now  upwards  of  eighty  years 
•  >d  therefore  invented  some  pretext,  and 
had  the  old  Hyrcanus  put  to  death. 

About  this  season,  a  very  alarming  earthquake 
shook  the  whole  country  of  Judea,  and  destroyed 
about  thirty  thousand  of  the  inhabitants,  together 
with  their  houses  and  their  property.  Shortly  after, 
a  very  destructive  pestilence  infested  Judea,  and 
swept  away  many  of  the  people.  A  few  years  later 
a  grievous  famine  pervaded  the  land,  on  which  occa- 
sion Herod  behaved  very  liberally  to  the  people,  in 
order  to  gain  their  affections  ;  but  in  this  he  was 
disappointed. 

It  was  just  at  this  period  that  Mark  Antony  and 
Octavius,  the  two  brave  Romans,  fell  into  a  disagree- 
ment with  each  other.  The  result  proved  in  favor  of 


GOVERNMENT  OF  HEROD  THE  GREAT.       99 

Octavius,  by  whom  Mark  Antony  was  vanquished 
and  entirely  ruined. 

Mark  Antony  was  the  true  and  tried  friend  of 
Herod,  who  being  now  fearful  of  the  power  of  Octa- 
vius, sought  to  appease  him  by  making  a  servile  sub- 
mission to  him.  Herod  accordingly  waited  on  Octa- 
vius in  humble  attire,  having  laid  aside  his  royal 
diadem,  and  with  a  free  and  open  countenance,  con- 
fessed his  sincere  regard  and  friendship  for  Murk 
Antony  in  former  days ;  but  now  he  wished  to  de- 
clare his  perfect  obedience  to  the  will  and  wishes  of 
Octavius,  if  such  trust  would  be  reposed  in  him  at 
his  hands. 

Octavius,  allured  by  the  flattery  and  cringing  tone 
of  Herod,  recived  his  declaration  of  obedience  in  tho 
most  polite  manner,  and  requested  him  immediately 
to  return,  resume  the  crown,  and  ascend  the  throne. 
He  then  fully  established  Herod  in  his  kingdom,  and 
remained  his  friend  during  his  life-time. 

The  history  of  Herod's  life  will  lie  found  over- 
shadowed by  crimes  of  the  blackest  dye.  Avarice, 
envy,  jealousy  and  pride ;  these  had  so  great  an 
effect  upon  his  wicked  mind  and  cruel  heart,  that  no 
redeeming  quality  existed  in  the  breast  of  this  hate- 
ful tyrant. 

Herod  was  now  visited  by  severe  domestic  troubles, 
which  disturbed  his  peace  of  mind,  and  produced  in 
him  great  irritability  of  temper,  violent  grief  and 
rage  throughout  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

It  will  be  recollected  thut  Mariamne  was  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  women  in  Judea.  Herod,  fearful 


100  ^NOPSIS    OF  JEWISH    HISTORT. 

lest  at  his  death  any  other  man  should  possess  so 
great  a  I -canty  as  his  <|iicenf  and  lest  any  branch  of 
the  Asinoncau  family  should  become  master  of  Judea, 
and  thus  deprive  his  u\\n  lawful  heirs  of  their  ri^lit 
to  the  crown,  gave  secret  instructions,  that  if  his 
th  should  be  before  that  of  Mariamne,  that  both 
she  and  her  mother  should  be  immediately  put  to 
death. 

This  cruel  and  inhuman  decree  of  Herod  reached 
the  ears  of  the  Queen,  who  from  that  very  day  re- 
jected him  for  ever,  and  upbraided  him  with  the 
murder  of  her  relations,  and  that  by  such  means 
alone  he  had  obtained  the  crown.  She  further 
resented  his  wicked  designs,  by  heaping  bitter  re- 
proaches on  his  mother  and  sister,  in  reference  to 
the  obscurity  of  their  birth  and  parentage.  Herod's 
conscience  becoming  tormented,  he  implored  his 
Queen  by  all  kind  and  affectionate  importunities, 
but  without  effect.  M:\riamne  seemed  resolved  to 
punish  Herod  for  his  wicked  intentions.  She  would 
not  yield  to  his  entreaties,  and  positively  determined 
to  discard  him  for  ever.  This  conduct  of  the  Queen 
so  enraged  Herod,  that  acting  on  the  advice  of  his 
mother  and  sister  Salome,  he  slew  his  beautiful  and 
innocent  Mariamne,  and  to  palliate  this  outrageous 
cruelty,  alleged  that  she  had  attempted  to  poison 
him,  and  that  he  only  acted  in  self  defense.  It  was 
not  long  before  the  mother  shared  the  same  fate  as 
her  daughter  at  the  hands  of  her  relentless  son-in- 
law.  The  death  of  Mariamne  was  not  easily  forgot- 
ten by  Herod.  It  preyed  on  his  mind  so  violently, 


GOVERNMENT  OF  HEROD  THE  GREAT.     101 

that  he  became  one  of  the  most  miserable  wretches 
in  existence.  His  love  for  his  Queen  whom  he  had 
so  atrociously  put  to  death,  produced  extreme  grief 
and  vexation  of  spirit  which  rendered  him  truly 
wretched.  He  became  more  arbitrary  and  despotic 
in  his  government ;  he  appointed  those  whom  he 
wished  to  favor,  as  high  priests,  and  deposed  them  as 
frequently,  to  satisfy  his  unruly  passions  and  caprice 
of  temper. 

He  introduced  innovations  into  the  religious  ob- 
servances of  the  Temple,  in  direct  opposition  to  the 
will  of  the  people,  who  remonstrated  with  him  on  the 
mischief  which  would  result  therefrom. 

Notwithstanding  all  the  arguments  advanced  to 
dissuade  him  from  such  wicked  and  impious  conduct, 
Herod  obstinately  adopted  the  practices  and  customs 
of  the  heathen  nations,  under  the  false  pretext  of 
pleasing  and  gratifying  the  wishes  of  Caesar. 

IK- rod's  Conduct  in  this  respect,  brought  upon  him 
the  hatred  of  the  people ;  who  being  jealous  at  all 
times  lest  their  ancient  and  holy  religion  should  in 
any  way  be  infringed  upon,  regarded  him  with  sus- 
picious distrust.  Herod  becoming  sensible  at  last  of 
the  disrepute  into  which  he  had  fallen,  and  fearful  of 
the  consequences  thereof,  sought  to  protect  himself 
by  building  several  strong  towers  in  and  about  Jeru- 
salem. He  then  built  temples  in  the  different  places 
and  dedicated  them  to  Caesar,  who  was  at  that  time 
his  great  friend. 

Herod  finding  that  the  hatred  of  the  people 
toward  him  did  not  abate,  then  sought  to  appease 


102  8THOPS18    OF  JEWISH    BISTORT. 

them,  by  proposing  to  pull  down  the  old  Temple  and 
build  up  a  new  one  in  its  stead,  far  superior  in  every 
degree  to  the  one  then  in  existence.  In  order  to 
induce  the  people  to  second  his  views,  he  pointed  out 
the  necessity  of  a  new  Temple,  since  the  old  one  had 
undergone  many  repairs,  owing  to  the  frequent  out- 
rages which  had  been  committed  against  it. 

The  people  were,  however,  not  disposed  to  listen 
rod's  proposal  to  remove  the  old  Temple  until 
he  had  assured  them  that  it  should  remain  uutom  h<  d 
till  all  the  requisites  for  the  new  building  should  bo 
ready  and  prepared  to  be  set  up.  Herod,  hein^  on 
this  occasion,  earnest  in  his  intentions,  executed  all 
that  the  people  requested  of  him,  at  an  enormous 
out  lav  of  both  labor  and  material.  To  carry  out 
his  plans  he  employed  nearly  ten  thousand  of  the 
best  mechanics  under  the  direction  of  about  one  thou- 
sand priests.  At  the  expiration  of  two  years,  the 
new  Temple  rose  in  all  its  glory  and  splendor,  at  an 
immense  labor  and  cost,  as  fully  described  by  the 
faithful  historian  Joseph  us,  who  says  it  was  « 
the  most  magnificent  and  beautiful  structures  that 
ever  adorned  the  country  of  Judea. 

When  completed,  the  Temple  was  dedicated  for 
divine  worship  on  the  anniversary  day  of  Herod's 
ascension  to  the  throne.  The  occasion  was  celebra- 
ted with  a  large  number  of  sacrifices  after  the 
ancient  custom,  and  amidst  great  rejoicings  and  pub- 
lic festivities. 

It  has  been  asked  why  this  new  Temple,  built  by 
Ilerod,  was  not  called  the  third  Temple  ?  The  reply 


GOVERNMENT  OF  HEROD  THE  GREAT.      103 

is,  that  though  it  was  built  anew  from  the  foun- 
dation, yet  it  was  only  by  way  of  reparation,  it  not 
having  been  destroyed  by  the  enemy  as  in  the  days 
of  Nebuchadnezzar ;  nor  did  it  lay  in  ashes,  and  re- 
main desolate,  as  the  first  Temple.  It  is  therefore 
still  designated  by  the  name  of  the  second  Temple. 

Herod  having  completed  this  work  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  people,  was  anxious  to  further  secure 
thc'ir  good  opinion ;  he  therefore  procured  for  such 
of  his  people  who  were  scattered  in  Greece  and 
Asia  Minor,  a  renewal  of  their  privileges,  and  per- 
mission to  live  in  other  countries,  according  to  their 
own  laws  and  religion,  which  had  been  granted 
them  before  by  the  kings  of  Syria,  and  by  the 
Romans. 

IK- rod  was  not  permitted  to  enjoy  that  peace  of 
mind  which  he  anticipated ;  he  was  visited  with 
domestic  troubles  which  he  little  expected,  but  which 
he  richly  deserved.  Aristpbulus  and  Alexander, 
the  two  eldest  sons  of  Mariamne,  who  were  educated 
at  Rome,  now  returned  to  Jerusalem.  These  youths 
deeply  lamented  the  loss  of  their  mother,  and 
often  reflected  with  sorrow  on  her  untimely  death, 
and  they  gave  vent  to  their  feelings  by  pub- 
lic demonstrations  of  their  resentment  for  the 
death  of  their  injured  parent.  These  expressions 
being  repeatedly  and  loudly  declared,  were  very 
disagreeable  to  the  ears  of  Salome,  the  sister  of 
Herod,  who  was  instrumental  in  the  death  of  Mari- 
amne.  Salome  being  wickedly  disposed,  and  proba- 
bly fearing  the  vengeance  of  the  two  youths, 


104  SYNOPSIS    OF   .1  i:\visii    11I-TOUY. 

endeavored   to  rouse    the    jealousy   and   anger  of 
Herod  against  his  sons,  by  persuading  him  tli.it  they 

1 'letting  against    his    life.     This   intelligence 

I  disputes  and  quarrels  between  the  lather 
and  the  two  sons,  which  lasted  many  years,  and 
caused  Herod  much  annoyance  and  fear  during  the 
remainder  of  his  old  age.  Salome,  by  her  crafty 

i,  ultimately  succeeded  in  ellcctin^  the  execu- 
tion of  the  two  sons  by  an  edict  from  Herod,  and  the 

>n  to  the  same  at  the  hands  t)f  AU.L 
Caesar.  It  must  be  observed  that  Herod  had  l>rcn 
already  married  to  one  Doris,  previous  to  his  alliance 
with  Mariamne.  By  this  wife  ho  had  a  son  named 
Antipater,  who  had  been  actively  engaged  with 
Salome  in  procuring  the  death  of  the  two  sons  of 
this  said  Herod. 

When  Herod  was  displeased  with  his  two  sons,  he 
placed  Antipater  in  some  post  of  honor ;  and  now 
that  they  were  dead,  jie  intended  that  Antipater 
should  succeed  in  the  kingdom.  Antipater  eager  to 
obtain  tbe  crown,  conspired  to  poison  his  lather. 
This  being  detected,  he  was  sentenced  and  con- 
demned to  be  executed,  by  and  under  the  directions 
of  Augustus  Csesar,  and  with  Herod's  approbation. 
This  was  the  third  son  whom  Herod  pat  to  death. 
In  the  seventieth  year  of  his  age,  and  five  days  after 
the  death  of  Antipater,  Herod  himself  died  by  a 
dreadful  complication  of  diseases.  He  was  attacked 
by  fever  and  ulcerated  bowels,  in  which  excrucia- 
ting pain  he  lingered  for  some  time,  till  he  died. 
No  doubt  the  extreme  pains  which  he  suffered,  were 


GOVERNMENT  OF  HEROD  THE  GREAT.      105 

inflicted  as  a  punishment  for  his  enormous  cruelties, 
and  the  multiplied  iniquities  of  his  whole  life. 

On  his  death-bed,  Herod,  considering  that  the 
extreme  hatred  the  people  had  for  him  would  pre- 
vent them  from  lamenting  his  loss,  and  that  his  death 
would  no  doubt  cause  much  rejoicing  in  the  land, 
was  determined  even  in  his  last  moments  to  be  wick- 
ed and  cruel.  To  effect  this,  he  convened  a  meeting 
of  all  the  principal  Jews,  from  all  parts  of  the  king- 
dom, on  pain  of  death,  to  appear  at  Jericho  where 
he  then  lay.  He  ordered  them  all  to  be  shut  up 
prisoners,  and  then  commanded  his  sister  Salome  and 
her  husband,  his  chief  confidants,  that  they  should 
have  them  all  put  to  the  sword  by  the  soldiery,  for 
this,  said  he,  "  will  provide  mourners  for  my  funeral 
all  over  the  land." 

Herod  died,  but  his  orders  were  not  attended  to, 
for  Salome,  although  wicked,  hesitated  to  commit  so 
horrid  a  deed  as  the  murder  of  so  many  innocent 
persons,  and  therefore  as  soon  as  Herod  was  dead, 
she  released  all  the  prisoners. 

At  Herod's  death,  his  son  Archelaus  succeeded 
him  in  the  government  of  Judea,  nearly  ten  years, 
during  which  time  he  was  guilty  of  many  acts  of 
cruelty  and  tyranny,  for  which  he  was  ultimately 
deposed  by  the  Roman  emperor,  and  banished  to  an 
obscure  place  in  France.  The  Romans  being  so  dis- 
pleased with  the  evil  practices  and  bad  government 
of  Archelaus,  they  reduced  Judea  to  a  Roman  prov- 
ince, to  be  ruled  by  a  Roman  procurator  or  governor, 
who  was  sent  thither  and  removed  therefrom  at 
F 


106  »PSIS    OF  JEWISH    HISTORY. 

pleasure.  It  was  now  that  the  power  of  life  and 
death  was  taken  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Jews,  and 
placed  in  that  of  the  Roman  governor ;  and  from 
that  time  all  taxes  wepe  gathered  by  the  publicans, 
and  paid  directly  to  the  Roman  emperor. 

This  new  regulation  very  much  annoyed  the  peo- 
ple ;  for  the  Pharisees,  and  all  those  under  their  influ- 
ence, considering  it  unlawful  to  acknowledge  a 
heathen  for  their  king  or  governor,  looked  upon  their 
tax-gatherers  with  greater  detestation  than  any  of 
those  kings  or  go  t'  former  days,  appointed 

to  rule  over  them,  and  who  were  of  their  own  nation 
or  religion.  True,  Herod  was  an  Idumean  by  birth, 
yet  all  the  Idumeans  having  embraced  the  Jewish, 
religion,  he  was  so  far  counted  a  lawful  governor, 
that  the  people  did  not  scruple  to  pay  him  their 
taxes.  The  Romans  followed  the  plan  adopted  by 
Herod  in  the  appointment  of  the  hi^h  priests,  and 
the  removing  of  Ihem  as  often  as  they  pleased,  to 
answer  their  own  purposes. 

In  this  way  the  affairs  of  the  Jews  were  carried  on 
for  some  years,  when  about  this  period  Christianity 
was  ushered  into  the  world  ;  which  caused  much  rage 
and  persecution  to  take  place  among  the  Jews,  until 
at  last  they  were  driven  to  such  extremities,  and 
thus  exposed  to  the  furious  and  formidable  army  of 
the  Romans,  who  were  then  great  in  power  ;  and  the 
Jews  were  thus  so  weakened  by  the  continued  in- 
roads made  upon  them,  that  they  fell  an  easy  prey 
to  the  enemy.  The  city  of  Jerusalem  was  utterly 
demolished,  the  beautiful  Temple  desecrated  and 


GOVERNMENT  OF  HEROD  THE  GRKAT.     107 

finally  destroyed,  and  about  eleven  hundred  of  the 
people  perished  in  the  conflict.  The  country  all 
round  became  desolate  ;  the  streets  overflowing  with 
human  blood,  terrified  the  few  of  the  poor  Jews  who 
still  survived,  so  that  they  fled  for  their  lives,  and 
were  scattered  all  over  the  face  of  the  globe.  Thus 
ended  the  Jewish  polity ;  from  that  time  up  to  the 
present,  the  Jewish  nation  has  been  disper 
throughout  the  known  world  ;  seeking  protection 
under  those  governments  where  they  may  chance  to 
fix  their  residence.  In  concluding  this  portion  of  the 
work,  we  venture  the  following  few  remarks : 

From  the  time  when  the  Jews  returned  from  the 
Babylonish  captivity,  both  the  Temple  service  and 
the  general  affairs  of  the  nation  at  large,  appear  to 
have  been  in  an  unsettled  atate.  Oppressed  and 
persecuted  by  the  various  powers  near  and  about 
Judea  ;  the  continued  civil  broils  among  themselves  ; 
the  tyranny  and  cruelty  of  their  own  kings  and 
priests,  all  tended  to  keep  them  in  a  state  of  confu- 
sion and  disorder  :  yet  worse  still,  was  the  neglect  of 
God's  holy  laws,  and  the  introduction  of  heathen 
rites  and  customs,  by  which  the  pure  religion  of 
their  ancestors  became  polluted.  Add  to  this  the 
innovations  which  were  permitted  to  creep  in  upon 
the  sacred  worship  of  God,  and  the  party  feeling 
which  strengthened  such  on  the  one  hand,  and  the 
furious  opposition  on  the  other  —  this  had  the  effect 
of  preventing  the  nation  from  possessing  that  peace 
of  mind  and  happiness  which  they  would  have 
otherwise  enjoyed,  owing  to  those  glorious  prophetic 


108  SYNOPSIS    OF   jr. WISH    HISTORY 

predictions  which  made  such_an  impression  on  them, 
and  which  promised  nought  but  real  comfort  and 
divine  peace  on  their  release  from  Babylonish 
captivity. 

h  is  therefore  to  be  concluded  that  there  is  a 
period  yet  to  come,*which  shall  bring  together  again 
all  the  scattered  flock  of  Israel,  to  the  Holy  Land  of 
fheir  fathers.  Then  will  they  be  convinced  of  their 
past  errors,  and  the.  sins  committed  by  their  fathers 
of  old,  whose  wickedness  brought  down  upon  them 
the  just  vengeance  of  an  offended  God.  Then  will 
all  the  blessings  reserved  for  the  righteous,  be  con- 
ferred upon  them  in  that  day*  as  foretold  by  the 
prophet  Zephaniah : 

•'  At  that  time  will  I  bring  you  again,  even  in  the 
time  that  I  gather  you,;  for  I  will  make  you  a  name 
and  a  praise  among  all  the  people  of  the  earth, 
when  I  turn  back  your  captivity  before  your  eyes, 
saith  the  Lord." 


END   OP   PART   I. 


fart 


AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  SEVERAL  SECTS  WHICH  SPRAM.   I  \' 

AMONG  THE  JEWS  BEFORE  AND  AFTEB  THE 

DAYS   OF   THE   MACCABEES. 


CHAPTER    I. 

The  AssMeans. 

After  the  spirit  of  prophecy  had  ceased  among 
the  Jews,  and  there  being  no  inspired  persons  to  whom 
they  could  apply  as  formerly,  they  fell  into  religious 
doubts  and  disputes.  This  caused  different  opinions 
to  exist  among  them,  and  divided  them  into  sects 
and  parties ;  such  as  the  Pharisees,  the  Sadducees, 
and  the  Essenes,  who  were  the  principal,  and  sup- 
posed to  have  arisen  out  of  the  •  Assideans. 

The  Assideans  are  called  by  some  "  Chasidim,"  or 
pious.  They  were  a  religious  society  among  the 
Jews,  whose  chief  and  distinguishing  character  ap- 
pears to  have  been  to  support  the  honor  of  the  Tem- 
ple, and  observe  punctually  the  traditions  of  the 
Elders.  e  In  the  apocryphal  books  of  the  Maccabees, 
we  meet  with  the  word  "  asidaioi,"  which  no  doubt 
is  derived  from  the  Hebrew  word  chasidim.  This 
sect  is  supposed  to  date  their  origin  either  during 
the  captivity,  or  shortly  after  the  restoration  of  the 
nation.  Being  of  a  pious  and  religious  character, 
they  were  the  first  who  adhered  to  Mattathias,  and 


11-'  SYNOPSIS    OF   jr.Wl^ll    HISTORY. 


afterwards  to  his  son  Judas  Maccabees,  in  defense  of 
their  religion  and  i  of  G<xf    They  proved 

themselves  zealous  in  their  cause,  as  -stated  in  the 
following  passage  :  "  There  came  to  Mattathias,  a 
company  of  Assideans,  who  were  mighty  men  of 
Israel,  even  all  such  as  were  voluntarily  dr 
unto  the  law."  They  were  not  however,  considered 
j\  distinet  religious  sect  from  the  rest  of  their  breth- 
ren; hut  they  were  devoted  to  their  ancient  religion 
and  the  service  of  the  Temple,  the  supporting  of  the 
sacrifices,  the  relief  of  the  poor,  and  the  general 
benefit  of  all  their  co-religionists.  Our  views  on  the 
subject  may  be  considered  correct,  as  Josephns.  who 
wrote  in  those  times,  and  concerning  those  aiVairs, 
does  not  mention  any  such  sect  being  distinctly 
marked  fr«»m  the  general  body  of  the  people.  We 
may  therefore  safely  adopt  the  opinions  of  those  who 
consider  the  appellation  given  them  in  the  book  of 
til--  Maccabees,  to  be  no  more  tliaii  used  in  our  days 
to  pious  and  religious  men,  who  are  designated  saints 
or  holy  men. 


CHAPTER    IT. 


The  1'bartece*. 


This  sect  derived  their  name  from  the  Hebrew 
word  "  Perusheem,"  which  signifies  separation,  and 
so  called  because  of  their  being  separated  from  the 
body  of  the  people  in  point  of  their  religious  con- 
duct. They  considered  themselves  more  than  ordi- 
narily holy,  and  more  strict  in  the  observance  of  their 
religious  precepts  and  ceremonies.  It  is  not  quite 
certain  at  what  time  the  Pharisees  first  made  their 
appearance  ;  yet  there  is  no  doubt,  that  like  all  the 
other  sects  among  the  Jews,  they  were  not  known  in 
any  way,  until  some  time  after  the  death  of  Malachi, 
the  last  of  the  prophets,  when  the  spirit  of  prophecy 
ceased  to  exist  among  Israel.  Josephus,  who  was 
himself  of  this  sect,  speaks  of  it  as  flourishing  in  the 
days  of  Johnathan  the  high  priest.  In  the  days  of 
John  Hyrcanus,  a  high  priest  of  the  Asmonean  race, 
they  became  very  numerous  and  influential.  It  is 
generally  admitted  that  the  Pharisees  were  more  de- 
vout than  their  brethren,  and  appear  to  have  excelled 
F» 


114  »»SIS    OK    JI.WIMI     HISTORY. 

in  the  knowledge  of  the  law,  and  to  have  been  more 
skillful  in  their  interpretation  of  the  same. 

The  principal  doctrines  of  this  sect  were  as  fol- 
lows : 

They  held  sacred  all  the  traditions  of  the  elders 
in  those  days,  and  considered  the  laws  of  the  Rab- 
bins, as  contained  in  the  said  traditions,  equally  bind- 
ing upon  them  as  the  w^ten  law.     They  were  of  the 
belief  that  the  written  law  could  not  fee  properly  un- 
derstood without  the  explanation  of  the  oral  law, 
which  removed  the  apparent  difficult  passages  in  the 
written  law.     They  were  guided  by  the  conviction 
that  both  were  derived  from  the  same  fountain,  as 
handed  down  by  the  tradition  from  father  to  son. 
They  further  believed,  that  when  Moses  was  with 
God  on  the  mount  during  forty  days,  he  received 
from  him  both  laws — the  one  in  writing,  the  other 
traditionary,  which  contained  the  sense  and  explana- 
tion of  the  former.     That  Moses  having  returned 
to  his  tent,  taught  the  same  to  Aaron,  then  to  his 
sons,  afterwards  to  the  seventy  elders,  and  lastly  to 
all  the  people.     That  the  same  was  further  continued 
throughout  every  generation  until  their  day,  and 
that  consequently  they  considered  their  system  the 
only  true  one,  in  order  to  the  understanding  of  the 
law  and  the  performance  of  its  precepts.     This  sect 
became  the  most  numerous  of  all  the  others,  since 
their  doctrines  were  supported  by  the  scribes  and 
expounders  of  the  law,  who  were  the  most  competent 
judges  in  those  days,  and  hence  the  best  calculated 
to  guide  the  people  in  all  their  religious  duties. 


THE    PHARIS  115 

The  Pharisees  were,  therefore,  much  respected 
and  highly  esteemed  by  the  general  class  of  the 
people,  who  followed  their  example  in  the  perform- 
ance of  all  their  religious  observances,  and  because 
they  would  not  encourage  any  innovations  to  be  made 
in  their  religion  or  temple  worship.  They  were  very 
particular  in  the  performance  of  all  the  ceremonial 
part  of  their  religion,  considering  form  and  custom 
to  be  the  great  contributing  cause  to  the  cementing 
more  firmly  the  principles  upon  which  th$  Jewish 
religion  is  based,  and  that  frequent  changes  in  reli- 
gious affairs  tend  materially  to  weaken,  but  not  to 
strengthen,  the  cause. 

They  maintained  the  belief  in  the  resurrection  of 
the  body — at  least  of  the  good — and  the  future  re- 

rds  and  punishments  to  all  men  in  an  eternal  state 
of  retribution,  believing  that  every  soul  is  immortal. 
They  ascribed  some  things  to  fate>  but  held  that 
other  things  were  left  in  man's  own  power  ;  that  all 
things  were  decreed  by  divine  power,  yet  not  so  as 
to  take  away  the  freedom  of  man  in  the  discharge  of 
those  duties  which  he  is  expected  to  perform  in  this 
life,  in  order  to  obtain  the  promised  happiness  of  an 
hereafter. 

The  religion  of  the  Jew  in  the  present  day,  is  that 
which  was  practised  by  the  sect  called  Pharisees, 
and  is  in  general  use  among  all  the  descendants  of 
Israel,  wherever  they  may  be  dispersed  throughout 
the  earth.  There  are  some  few  exceptions,  in  those 
who  have  seceded,  and  have  set  up  a  standard  for 
themselves ;  but  they  are  few  in  number,  and  not 


raia 


very  significant  in  the  scale  of  Judaism.  The  prin- 
ciple which  they  so  strenuously  advocate  is  a  mere 
change  in  the  formulae  of  prayer,  and  the  mode  of 
synagogue  worship,  under  the  idea  of  conciliating 
•  entiles,  by  whom  they  are  surrounded.  The 
belief  in  the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  and  the  ivsur 
rection  of  the  dead,  as  also  the  restoration  of  Israel 
to  the  promised  land,  is  not  in  the  least  invalidated. 
The  Jews  in  general  look  forward  with  anxious  hope 
for  the  forthcoming  of  that  period  in  which  all  this 
shall  come  to  pass,  as  so  frequently  foretold  by  the 
prophets  in  the  various  ages  in  which  they  flourished. 


CHAPTER    III. 

The  Sadducees. 

THE  Sadducees  derive  th$ir  name  from  the  He- 
brew word  "  Tzaddukeem,"  so  called  from  Zadok, 
who  was  a  pupil  of  Antigonus,  the  son  of  Socho, 
president  of  the  Sanhedrim,  upwards  of  two  thousand 
years  ago.  This  sect  arose  from  the  following  cir- 
cumstance. 

Antigonus  taught  in  his  school  the  doctrine  that 
44  Man  ought  to  serve  God  from  pure  love,  and  not 
in  a  servile  manner,  either  out  of  fear  of  punishment 
or  the  hope  of  reward." 

Zadok,  not  comprehending  the  spiritual  idea  of  this 
doctrine,  concluded  that  there  would  not  be  any 
future  state  of  reward  or  punishment ;  and,  accord- 
ingly, taught  and  propagated  this  false  doctrine  after 
the  death ,pf  his  preceptor,  Antigonus. 

This  sect  believed  in  the  written  law  as  handed 
down  from  the  time  of  Moses  ^  but  not  in  the  oral 
or  traditional  law.  They  rejected  all  the  traditions 
maintained  among  the  Pharisees.  They  not  only 
denied  the  resurrection  of  the  body,  but  even  the 


118  >PS1S  OK  .M:\VIMI   IIISTORV. 

existence  of  the  soul  after  its  departure'  from  the 
body  here  on  earth.  They  ignored  the  idea-enter- 
tained of  divine  decrees,  and  held  the  b^icf  that 
man  is  absolute  master  of  his  own  actions,  with  the 
full  privilege  of  acting  as  he  pleases,  either  for  good 
or  evil.  That  God  does  not  in  anywise  influence  his 
creatures  in  the  doing  the  one  or  the  other ;  that 
man's  prosperity  or  adversity  in  life  depends  entirely 
on  his  own  acts,  and  that  both  are  respectively  the 
result  of  either  his  wisdom  or  his  folly.  The  Sad- 
ducees  received  the  Pentateuch  as  divine ;  but  not 
the  other  books  of  th%  old  testament.  In  the  days 
of  Josejihus,  the  celebrated  Jewish  historian,  the 
Sadducees  were  not  Very  numerous,  but  supposed  to 
have  been  the  most  wealthy  among  the  people  ;  and 
the  more  opulent  joined  them.  We  can  easily  rec- 
oncile this  to  our  minds,  as  we  observe  in  our  times 
that  the  rich  and  the  great  are  apt  to  prefer  the 
pleasures  and  enjoyments  of  this  life  to  any  expect- 
ancy in  a  future  state  of  existence.  Hence  they 
are  found  ready  aud  willing  to  embrace  such  a  sys- 
tem of  religion  as  enables  them  'to  follow  their  own 
inclinations. 

These  men  do  not  wish  to  tax  their  minds  with  any 
uneasy  reflections  on  the  subject  of  retribution,  or  of 
the  world  to  come,  when  they  shall  be  called  to  ac- 
count for  their  past  conduct  in  this  life. 

The  Sadduccees  were,  however,  not  tolerated 
among  the  mass  of  the  people,  in  consequence  of 
their  assertions,  precepts,  and  doctrines,  which  were 


THE    SADDUCEES.  119 

held   by  the  community  at  large  as  impious,  and, 
therefore,  injurious  to  the  happiness  of  society. 

At  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  this  sect  "became 
very  insignificant — their  name  became  nearly  for- 
gotten for  many  years — and  subsequently  the  name 
was  applied  to  the  sect  called  Karaites,  whom  we 
shall  notice  hereafter,  in  reproach  and  disgrace. 


CH  A  i'TER    IV. 


THE  Samaritans  were  originally  heathens,  consist- 
ing of  persons  from  the  several  nations,  to  whom  the 
king  of  Assyria  gave  the  lands  and  cities  of  the 
Israelites  when  they  were  made  captives  by  the  said 
monarch. 

This  sect  was  called  Samaritans  from  the  fact  of 
their  having  been  settled  in  the  city  of  Samaria,  the 
metropolis  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel.  When  these 
people  were  first  carried  to  Samaria,  they  adopted 
the  idolatrous  worship  and  customs  of  the  surround- 
ing nations  from  among  whom  they  came. 

History  informs  us  that  Samaria  was  infested  with 
lions,  which  the  "people  supposed  to  be  a  judgment 
from  heaven  for  their  idolatrous  and  superstitious 
practices. 

The  king  of  Assyria  being  of  the  same  opinion 
with  the  rest  of  the  people,  sent  a  Jewish  priest  to 
instruct  them  in  the  Jewish  religion,  and  to  put  away 
their  idolatry. 

Notwithstanding   the   instruction   they   received 


THE    SAMARITANS.  121 

from  the  Jewish  priest,  these  people  could  not  easily 
be  weaned  from  their  old  practices  ;  and,  therefore, 
to  conciliate  all  parties,  as  they"  supposed,  they  made 
up  among  themselves  a  system  embracing  the  prin- 
ciples of  both  the  Jewish'  and  the  heathen  religion. 

At  the  return  of  the  Jewish  nation  from  the 
Babylonish  captivity — and  after  the  rebuilding  of 
the  temple  at  Jerusalem — the  religion  of  the  Samar- 
itans underwent  a  revision,  and  an  alteration  in  many 
points,  under  the  following  extraordinary  circum- 
stances. 

One  of  the  sons  of  Jehoiada,  the  high  priest,  mar- 
ried the  daughter  of  Sanballat,  the  Horonite,  con- 
trary to  the  Mosaical  law,  which  prohibits  the  inter- 
marriage of  the  Israelite  with  any  of  the  other 
nations. 

Nehemiah  in  his  day  zealously  endeavored  to  re- 
form the  people  among  whom  this  innovation  had 
spread  itself  to  an  alarming  extent.  He  compelled 
all  those  men  who  had  married  strange  women  to 
repudiate  them. 

Manasseh,  unwilling  to  obey  the  order  of  Nehc- 
miah,  together  with  many  others  who  acted  in  con- 
cert with  him,  left  Jerusalem  with  their  wives,  and 
settled  themselves  under  the  protection  of  Sanballat, 
the  governor  of  Samaria. 

From  that  time  onward,  the  worship  of  the  Samar- 
itans came  much  nearer  to  that  of  the  Jews.  At  a 
later  date,  they  obtained  permission  from  Alexander 
the  Great,  to  build  a  temple  on  Mount  Gerizim,  near 
the  city  of  Samaria,  in  imitation  of  the  temple  at 


I  "2 '2  SYNOPSIS    OF   JEWISH    HISTORY. 

Jerusalem,  where  they  followed  the  same  system  of 
worship,  with  some  few  exceptions. 

*This  sect  hears  some  affinity  to  the  Saddiu-ivs — ii 
being  the  prevailing  opinion  am<5ng  the  learned,  that 
they  rejected^ll  other  sacivil  writings  excepting  tlu» 
five  books  of  Mo.-  . 

This  circumstance  created  a  stronir  hatred  be 
the  Samaritans  and  the  original  Jews.  It  was  con- 
sidered in  those  days  a  great  reproach  among  the 
Jews  to  be  designated  a  Samaritan.  So  violent  was 
the  animosity  on  botb  sides,  that  the  one  would  not 
in  any  way  associate  with  the  other,  nor  even  per- 
form any  acts  of  civility  to  each  other,  and  thus  all 
friendly  intercourse  ceased  among  them. 

The  Samaritans,  as  well  as  the  Sadducees,  are 
sometimes  called  hy  the  Jewish  Rabbins, "  Cutheem." 


CHAPTER    V. 


The   Esseiies. 


THIS  sect  is  supposed  to  have  first  appeared  a 
short  time  before  the  days  of  the  Maccabees,  when 
the  faithful  among  the  Jews,  at  least  those  who  were 
the  most  scrupulously  religious,  had  to  flee  from  the 
power  of  their  cruel  enemies,  and  take  up  their 
abode  in  the  deserts  and  in  caves.  Living  in  such 
retreats,  many  of  them  became  so  habituated  to  re- 
tirement, that  they  preferred  to  remain  so  even  in 
later  days,  when  they  might  have  again  appeared  in 
public.  In  this  way  it  was,  that  they  formed  them- 
selves into  recluses. 

Although  this  sect  has  not  been  noticed  in  the 
scripture  history  of  the  Jews,  still  they  formed  a 
considerable  party  ameng  them,  as  mentioned  by 
Josephus.  The  Esseiies  appear  to  have  been  rathej 
peculiar  in  their  mode  of  living.  They  loved  to  be 
in  solitude  and  retirement,  and  were  devoted  to  a 
contemplative  life.  They  were  singular  in  their 
piety,  humility,  and  devotion.  It  is  supposed  by 
some  of  the  ancient  writers,  that  among  this  sect  it 


124  SYNOPSIS    OF   JEWISH    HISTORY. 

was  that  the  Hebrew  philosophy  and  metaphysics 
chiefly  flourished,  because  they  showed  but  little 
regard  for  worldly  pleasures — as  wealth,  honors,  or 
vain-glories.  They  were  remarkable  for  their  pa- 
tience, moral  conduct,  and  for  their  strict  observance 
of  the  Sabbath  according  to  the  law  of  Moses. 

They  were  exemplary  in  their  manner  of  worship, 
for  thcty  would  not  speak  of  any  worldly  affairs  after 
the  sun  had  risen,  until  they  had  performed  their 
religious  duties  as  customary  in  those  days.  In  the 
present  day,  nothing  is  known  of  this  sect;  the  prob- 
ability is,  that  in  the  lapse  of  time,  they  became 
mixed  up  among  the  rest  of  their  brethren  in  their 
various  dispersions  throughout  the  world. 

From  the  account  given  of  the  doctrines  of  this 
sect  by  Philo  and  Josephus,  that  they  believed  in 
the  immortality  of  the  soul ;  that  they  held  the 
scripture  in  great  reverence ;  they  offered  no  sacri- 
fices, but  sent  presents  for  the  support  of  the  temple 
at  Jerusalem. 

Their  quiet,  pious  habits,  rendered  them  remark- 
able. They  remained  neutral  amidst  all  the  political 
changes,  and  were  thus  respected  by  all  parties  of 
their  own  nation,  as  wall  as  those  of  the  heathens. 
They  lived  chiefly  in  Palestine  and  in  Egypt. 


CHAPTER   VI. 


The  Hcrodlans. 


Tin:  Herodians  were  considered  by  some  to  be  a 
political  party,  and  by  others,  a  religious  sect.  Jo- 
sephus  appears  to  have  passed  over  this  sect  in 
silence,  which  leads  us  to  suppose  that  he  did  not 
consider  them  very  formidable.  The  opinion,  how- 
ever, of  most  ecclesiastics,  is,  that  they  derived  their 
name  from  Herod  the  Great,  and  that  they  were 
distinguished  from  the  Pharisees,  and  other  Jews, 
by  their  agreeing  with  Herod's  scheme  in  putting 
himself  and  his  dominions  under  the  power  of  the 
Romans,  and  complying  with  many  of  the  heathen 
usages  and  customs. 

In  their  zeal  for  the  Roman  authority,  they  were 
directly  opposite  to  the  Pharisees,  who  considered  it 
unlawful  to  submit  to,  or  to  pay  taxes  to,  the  Roman 
emperor.  -  The  Pharisees  encouraged  this  opinion, 
because  they  were  forbidden  by  the  law  of  Moses  to 
set  over  them  a  stranger  to  be  their  king.  The 
Herodians  were  also  distinguished,  having  adopted 
some  of  the  idolatrous  worship  of  the  heathens, 


126  SYNOPSIS    OF   JEWISH    HISTORY. 

whjch  had  been  introduced  among  them  by  Herod 
the  Great,  when  he  built  a  temple  in  honor  of  Caesar, 
m;ir  the  head  of  the  river  Jordan;  and  erected  a 
<icent  theatre  at  Jerusalem,  in  which  he  intro- 
duced the  pagan  games,  and  placed  the  figure  of  a 
golden  eagle  over  the  gate  of  the  holy  temple. 

Herod  also  furnished  the  temples,  which  he  reared 
in  the  several  places  out  of  Judea,  with  images  for 
idolatrous  worship,  in  order  to  gain  favor  with  the 
emperor  of  Rome ;  though,  at  the  same  time,  to  the 
Jews  he  pretended  to  do  it  in  opposition  to  his  own 
will,  but  in  obedience  to  the  imperial  ordinance.  I  n 
all  these  schemes  the  Herodians  acquiesced,  ami 
encouraged  their  master  in  his  work  of  iniquity. 

It  is  also  probable,  from  some  account  in  ancient 
history,  that  the  Herodians  were  chiefly  of  the  sect 
of  the  Sadducees,  who  were  very  lax  in  the  perform- 
ance of  their  religious  duties.  This  sect  was,  how- 
ever, after  a  very  few  years,  lost  in  oblivion,  and  up 
to  the  present  day,  nothing  more  is  known  of  them. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

The  Galileans,  or  Gaulonltos. 

A  SECT  among  the  ancient  Jews,  so  called  from 
their  founder  or  leadejr,  Judas  of  Galilee.  It  is  sup- 
posed that  this  party  seceded  from  the  Pharisees, 
and  formed  themselves  into  a  new  sect. 

This  Judas,  considering  it  to  be  improper  for  his 
countrymen  to  pay  tribute  to  strangers,  excited  them 
to  oppose^he  edict  of  the  emperor,  Augustus,  who 
had  decreed  that  a  census  should  be  taken  of  all  his 
subjects. 

He  declared  his  reason  for  this  opposition  to  be, 
that  God  alone  should  be  honored  as  the  supreme 
master,  and  not  any  earthly  monarch.  This  Judas 
was  in  company  with  one  Zadoc.  a  Sadducee,  and 
they  publicly  taught  that  such  taxation  was  forbidden 
by  the  law  of  Moses.  The  tumults  which  they  ex- 
cited were,  however,  for  a  time  suppressed ;  but 
their  disciples  were  active  in  propagating  this  doc- 
trine. This  caused  a  secession  from  the  body  of  the 
Pharisees,  declaring  it  to  be  unlawful  to  pay  for 
infidel  princes.  In  all  other  respects,  they  held  the 


128  BYirOHfa    OF   JEWISH    HISTORY. 

same  doctrine  as  the  original  Pharisees ;  but  apart 
from  them,  they  performed  the  duties  of  sacrifices, 
and  all  other  forms  of  worship  peculiar  among  tin  MM 
in  those  days. 

It  is  generally  supposed  that  this  sect  of  Galileans 
ultimately  embodied  among  themselves  most  of  the 
other  sects  which  appeared  at  that  time ;  and  it  is 
even  credited,  that  the  zealots,  particularly  men- 
tioned at  the  seige  of  Jerusalem,  were  of  this  faction. 


CHAFER    VIII. 

The  Karaycein,  or  Karaites. 

THE  Karaites  trace  their  pedigree  from  the  ten 
tribes  who  were  carried  away  captive  by  Salmanas- 
sar,  and  settled  themselves  in  Tartary.  They  derive 
their  name  from  the  word  Kara,  which  signifies 
scripture,  they  having  adhered  to  the  scripture  only 
as  the  rule  of  their  faith  and  religion.  Hence  they 
were  called  Karayeem.  They  reject  the  Talmud 
and  the  Mishna,  as  also  all  other  traditions,  and 
confine  themselves  strictly  to  the  written  law — the 
word  of  God,  as  they  term  it — and  content  them- 
selves with  the  literal  sense  of  the  text,  which  admits 
of  no  comment,  according  to  their  opinions.  The 
translation  of  the  bible  in  use  among  them,  is  in  the 
Turkish  language,  which  in  all  probability  proceeds 
from  their  constant  intercourse  with  the  Mahorn- 
edans. 

During  the  time  of  the  celebrated  Hillel,  and  his 
cotemporary,  Shammai,  who  were  the  president  and 
vice  president  of  the  Sanhedrm  of  those  days,  the 
disciples  of  these  two  eminent  divines  became  divided, 


130  SYNOPSIS    OP   JEWISH    HISTORY. 

and  formed  two  parties.  They  were  in  constant  dis- 
putes, owing  to  the  different  opinions  entertained  by 
each  party  on  the  several  religious  subjects.  Those 
who  were  of  the  same  opinion  as  the  Karaites,  agreed 
with  the  school  of  Shaimnoi ;  whilst  those  who  were 
zealous  advocates  for  tradition,  joined  the  school  of 
Ilillcl.  Though  the  name  Karaites  be  thus  modern, 
this  sect  boasts  of  their  high  antiquity  ;  for  they  say 
they  are  the  true  followers  of  Moses  and  the  pro- 
phets, as  they  undoubtedly  are,  on  account  of  their 
adhering  so  closely  to  the  scripture. 

This  sect  differs  from  the  rest  <»f  the  Jews  in  this 
respect — they  expound  the  scripture,  after  its  hav- 
ing been  read  in  the  synagogue  in  Ilehrew,  in  the 
language  of  the  country  in  which  they  dwell;  and 
they  read  most  of  their  prayers  after  the  same  man- 
ner, both  in  private  and  in  public.  At  Constanti- 
nople, where  many  of  them  are  living,  their  transla- 
tion is  in  modern  Greek;  whereas,  in  Caffa,  it  is  in 
the  Turkish  language.  They  are  found  chiefly  in 
the  Crimea,  Lithuania,  and  Persia,  at  Damascus, 
Constantinople,  and  Egypt. 

They  are  proverbial  for  honesty  and  integrity,  and 
said  to  be  men  of  great  learning,  piety,  and  true 
religious  principles. 

Their  doctrines  chiefly  are  as  follow  : 

They  believe  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and 
in  rewards  and  punishments  hereafter.  They  be- 
lieve, also,  with  the  rest  of  Israel,  that  the  Messiah 
is  yet  to  come,  with  the  same  hope  and  fervency  of 
spirit  as  all  Jews  of  the  present  day. 


THE    KARAYEEM,  OR    KARAITES.  131 

They  are  exemplary  in  their  observance  of  the 
Sabbath,  and  the  festivals,  according  to  the  strict 
letter  of  the  law,  as  contained  in  the  bible. 

The  celebrated  traveler,  Benjamin  of  Tudela,  who 
made  himself  famous  in  the  twelfth  century,  visited 
all  the  synagogues  in  the  east,  where  he  became  ac- 
quainted with  all  the  customs,  manners,  and  cere- 
monies of  the  different  parties.  He  relates  that  he 
met  some  Karaites  at  Damascus,  in  Syria,  and  in 
Egypt ;  that  they  all  appear  to  have  adopted  one 
uniform  mode  of  worship  and  religious  practices ; 
that  they  met  with  great  encouragement  in  the 
Ottoman  empire,  owing  to  their  unanimity  of  feeling 
in  synagogue  worship,  and  their  general  conduct  in 
religious  affairs.  In  Constantinople,  where  they  are 
pretty  numerous,  they  hold  an  equal  position.  It 
was  here  that  Elijah  ben  Moses  composed  his  astro- 
nomical tables  for  the  capital  of  the  Ottoman  empire. 
It  was  here,  also,  that  the  learned  Rabbi,  Judah 
Alpoka,  the  noted  Karaite,  published  his  work,  the 
"  Gate  of  Judah,"  in  which  he  deplores  the  unfortu- 
nate state  of  his  sect,  which,  he  says,  had  lost,  by 
plunder  and  other  persecution,  about  three  hundred 
volumes  of  books,  composed  in  Arabic  by  their  doc- 
tors, arid  translated  into  Hebrew. 

This  historian  further  informs  us,  that  this  sect  is 
to  be  found  in  Syria,  and  as  far  to  the  east  as  Nine- 
veh, from  which  place,  some  years  ago,  one  of  the 
Karaites  came  to  Frankfort,  in  Germany.  He 
brought  with  him  some  books,  which  he  valued  at  a 
very  high  price.  He  then  visited  Poland,  Muscovy, 


SYNOPSIS   OP  JEWISH    HISTORY. 

and  Lithuania,  where  many  of  them  arc  residing  at 
this  day.  This  proves  to  us  the  folly  of  the  vulgar 
notion,  that  this  sect  are  extinct  in  the  west.  Doubt- 
less, there  are  still  many  Karaites  in  these  countries 
who  trace  their  origin  from  the  Tartars. . 

Our  historian  further  informs  us  that,  in  the  course 
of  his  travels,  he  met  in  Damascus  two  hundred 
Karaites,  four  hundred  Samaritans,  and  about  three 
thousand  Pharisees,  and  that  none  of  these  sects 
would  intermarry ;  and  consequently,  they  remain  to 
this  day  distinct  and  separate,  so  far  as  regards  their 
religious  intercourse  and  forms  of  worship.  In  all 
other  respects,  however,  they  are  friendly  with  each 
other,  and  mix  together  in  society  as  citizens  of  the 
world. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Of  the  Synagogues  among  the  Jews. 

THE  term  synagogue  signifies  simply  an  assem- 
blage of  persons,  which  name  was  applied  to  places 
or  houses  in  which  the  people  met  for  religious  wor- 
ship. Among  the  Israelites  of  old,  the  word  syna- 
gogue was  used  in  its  primary  sense  ;  as  when  they 
speak  of  the  great  synagogue,  or  the  court  of  the 
seventy  elders,  which  was  instituted  in  the  days  of 
Moses,  the  legislator,  to  superintend  the  political 
affairs  of  the  nation.  The  number  of  seventy  be- 
came, in  later  days,  increased  to  one  hundred  and 
twenty. 

Synagogues  were  originally  instituted  as  chapels 
of  ease,  for  the  convenience  of  those  persons  who 
lived  far  distant  from  the  temple,  and  could  not, 
therefore,  attend  regularly  to  divine  service.  In  the 
later  ages  of*the  Jewish  state,  synagogues  became 
very  numerous,  even  in  Jerusalem',  where  the  temple 
stood. 

The  silence  of  the  old  testament  respecting  syna- 
gogues, and  the  absence  of  any  other  authentic 


134  SYNOPSIS   OP  JEWISH    T1ISTORY. 

account,  have  induced  most  historians  to  conclude 
that  synagogues  were  not  generally  in  use  before  the 
Babylonish  captivity. 

It  appears  to  be  the  current  opinion  of  many  wli«> 
have  written  on  the  subject,  that  synagogues  were 
first  built  during  the  days  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah. 
They  directed  that  in  every  town  and  city  through- 
out the  land,  where  ten  men  could  be  assembled, 
synagogues  should  be  erected  for  divine  worship, 
which  consisted  of  prayers  and  praises,  readinir  tin* 
scripture,  and  expounding  the  same,  in  the  language 
of  the  country  in  which  the  people  lived. 

The  Israelites  having,  during  their  long  captivity 
in  Babylon,  neglected  the  study  of  the  Hebrew  lan- 
guage, which  was  their  vernacular,  the  result  proved 
that  the  bible  became  less  understood  by  them.  It 
was  on  this  account  that  Ezra  read  the  law  to  the 
people  in  Hebrew,  and  the  meaning  of  the  text  was 
given  in  Chaldee  by  the  Levites ;  and  thus  it  was, 
that  the  people  were  enabled  to  comprehend  the  true 
ami  proper  meaning  of  that  portion  of  the  law  when 
read  publicly  every  Sabbath  in  the  synagogue. 
Hence  the  origin  of  preaching  in  the  synagogue, 
which  was  considered  one  of  the  objects  for  which 
the  synagogue  was  instituted. 

After  the  Babylonish  captivity,  the  erection  of 
synagogues  among  the  Israelites  proved  of  great 
utility  to  the  people  in  general,  as  the*  frequent  public 
reading  of  the  law  was  the  only  means  of  preserving 
the  true  religion  of  the  Jew,  and  of  diffusing  the 
knowledge  of  the  holy  law  of  God.  It  cannot  be 


OF  THE  SYNAGOGUES  AMONG  THE  JEWS.    135 

denied,  that  it  had  been  partially  forgotten  during 
the  long  and  severe  captivity ;  that  many  of  the 
rites  and  ceremonies  had  fallen  into  disuse,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  many  cruel  persecutions  which  were 
inflicted  upon  the  people,  which  unfitted  them  for  the 
performance  of  God's  holy  law. 

The  regulations  for  divine  service  were  as  follow. 
Two  days  in  each  week,  besides  the  Sabbath  and 
other  festivals,  were  appointed  for  this  service  in  the 
synagogue,  viz:  Mondays  and  Thursdays.  The 
hours  for  the  daily  prayers  were  at  the  time  of  the 
morning  and  evening  sacrifices.  These  hours  were 
devoted  to  prayer  in  the  temple  as  well  as  in  the 
synagogues,  as  also  to  private  devotion  in  the  res- 
pective homes  of  the-  people.  . 

In  addition  to  these  two  seasons  of  prayer,  the 
ancient  Hebrews  prayed  at  the  hi-ginning  of  the  first 
iii_ilit  u.itrh,  while  the  evening  sacrifice  was  still 
burning  on  the  altar  :  as  we  find  recorded  of  king 
David  in  the  book  of  psalms,  who  prayed  morning, 
noon,  and  evening.  It  is  also  mentioned  of  Daniel, 
that  he  prayed  three  times  a,  day. 

The  priests  and  the  Levites  were  devoted  to  the 
service  of  -the  temple  ;  but  in  the  service  of  the 
various  synagogues,  persons  of  any  tribe  were  ap- 
pointed, if  found  competent,  by  the  elders  who  were 
the  rulers  of  the  synagogue. 

The  synagogues  were  also  used  in  olden  times  as 
courts  of  justice,  more  especially  in  ecclesiastical 
affairs.  The  great  council  of  the  nation,  called  the 
Sanhcdrin,  whose  department  was  in  the  temple  at 


186  SYNOPSIS    OF   JEWISH    HISToKV. 

Jerusalem,  was  \  t>tc.l  with  the  power  of  deciding 
•  •n  life  and  death.  Its  authority  extended  ««\  <  r 
all  the  synagogues  in  Judea,  as  also  over  all  other 
places,  where  the  people  resided  near  .Jerusalem. 
The  great  synagogue  consisted  of  one  hundred  and 

•  .  among  whom  wore  the  three  later 

prophets,  Higai,  '/aeharia,  and  Malaehi.  'Phis  con- 
clave continued  in  succession  till  the  days  of  Simon, 
the  just,  the  hiirh  priest  in  Jerusalem,  who  was  the 
last  of  this  school.  He  was  designated  the  just,  be- 
cause of  his  devotion  and  unfeigned  piety  to  his  God, 
and  his  upright  conduct  towards  his  fellow  ereatun  <. 
This  conclave  were  zealously  en.ra;red  in  restoring 
ly  religion  of  Israel  to  its  former  excellence, 
which  had  underpin-  many  corruptions  during  the 
captivity  and  other  persecutioas  which  the  people 
endured  suhsequent  to  that  period.  They  puMishrd 
correct  copies  of  the  bible,  and  taught  the  same  to 
the  people,  in  order  that  they  should  understand  the 
which  they  professed  to  follow. 

Then  it  was  that  the  worship  of  the  synagogue 
consisted  of  three  parts — the  reading  of  the  scrip- 
ture, prayer,  and  preaching.  By  the  scripture,  is 
understood  the  pen ta tench,  portions  from  the  pro- 
phets, and  Ilagiographa.  The  pentateuch  is  divided 
into  fifty-two  portions,  for  the  fifty-two  weeks  in  the 
year ;  one  of  these  portions  is  read  every  Sahhath 
till  the  whole  pentateuch  is  finished;  in  addition 
to  the  reading  of  the  law,  a  chapter  from  the.  pro- 
phets is  read,  which  dates  its  origin  to  the  following 
fact. 


OF  THE  SYNAGOGUES  AMONG  THE  JEWS.    137 

In  those  days,  when  Antiochus  Epiphanes  de- 
stroyed all  the  books  in  the  possession  of  the  Jews, 
he  prohibited  also  the  reading  of  the  weekly  portions 
of  the  law  on  the  Sabbath.  The  elders  then,  as  a 
substitute,  selected  chapters  from  the  prophets,  cor- 
responding, in  some  measure,  with  the  context  of 
the  weekly  portions  of  the  law.  This  practice  u;i> 
continued  until  Judas  Maccabees  had  conquered  An- 
tiochus, when  the  reading  of  the  law  was  resumed. 
To  commemorate  this  event,  the  practice  of  reading 
the  said  portions  of  the  prophets,  on  Sabbaths 
and  festivals,  has  been  continued  among  the  Jews, 
and  is  now  in  use  in  all  Jewish  orthodox  synagogues. 

Under  the  head  of  synagogues,  we  must  notice 
that  the  Jews  had  schools  wherein  the  children  were 
taught  to  read  the  law  ;  as,  also,  academies,  in  which 
the  rabbins  and  doctors  made  comments  on  the  law, 
and  taught  the  traditions  to  their  pupils.  These 
academies  were  furnished  with  many  tutors,  of  whom 
one  was  appointed  as"  president,  and  under  whose 
name  the  academy  was  denominated.  Of  this  char- 
acter, were  the  two  famous  schools  of  Hillel  and 
Shammai,  as  also  the  school  of  the  celebrated  rabbi, 
Gamliel,  whom  we  shall  have  to  introduce  to  the 
notice  of  the  reader  hereafter,  when  we  speak  of  the 
compilers  of  the  Mishna  and  the  Talmud.  The  sub- 
ject of  prayer  will  form  the  contents  of  the  next 
chapter. 


CHAPTER    X. 

Of  the  origin  and  IntrvOactkM  of  Prayer  among  the  Jews. 

Tin-:  bible  informs  us  that,  even  in  tbe  earliest  ages 
of  the  world,  there  existed  in  the  human  breast  a 
spontaneous  bursting  forth  of  grateful  feeling  towards 
God,  the  benefactor  of  mankind. 

The  first  specimen  we  meet  with  is  in  the  days  of 
Seth,  the  third  son  of  Adam.  "  Then  began  men 
44  to  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord.1*  The 
same  expression  is  used  in  the  history  of  the  pa- 
triarch Abraham,  who  built  altars  and  prayed  to 
God.  His  example  was  followed  by  Isaac  and 
Jacob,  and  their  immediate  descendants.  This 
44  calling  on  the  name  of  the  Lord,"  is  what  we  now 
understand  by  the  term  prayer. 

From  the  several  verses  in  Genesis,  which  speak 
of  the  prayers  offered  up  by  the  patriarchs,  the  Tal- 
mud infers  that  the  morning  prayer  was  first  intro- 
duced by  Abraham,  afternoon  prayer  by  Isaac,  and 
that  of  the  evening  by  Jacob  ;  and,  therefore,  it  is 
concluded  that  prayer  was,  from  the  earliest  period, 
held  as  a  regular  and  stated  duty. 


PRAYER   AMONG    THE  JEWS.  139 

After  the  release  of  the  Israelites  from  Egyptian 
bondage,  they  were  initiated  into  a  holy  communion 
by  divine  revelation  on  Mount  Sinai.  The  mode  of 
worship  then,  consisted  of  regular  daily  sacrifices,  as 
described  in  the  bible  ;  additional  offerings  for  festi- 
vals, or  propitiatory,  as  those  offered  for  sins  and 
transgressions.  These  last  were  always  accompanied 
with  suitable  prayers  and  confessions. 

In  this  manner,  the  sinner  had  to  make  confession 
when  he  brought  an  offering  in  expiation  of  his  sins. 
On  the  day  of  atonement,  when  the  high  priest  pre- 
sented the  offering  to  the  Lord,  he  had  to  make  con- 
fession on  behalf  of  himself  and  the  congregation. 

In  Deuteronomy,  chapter  the  twenty-sixth,  fifth 
verse,  we  find  a  particular  form  of  thanksgiving  and 
confession  to  be  used  by  the  people,  when  they  offered 
up  the  first  ripe  fruits  to  the  Lord  in  the  temple  at 
Jerusalem. 

All  other  addresses  to  the  Almighty  appear  to 
have  arisen  as  occasions  required.  Of  this  class,  we 
find  several  instances,  such  as  Moses,  Joshua,  Han- 
nah, Hezekiah,  and  others. 

Nothing,  however,  more  clearly  points  out  the  fact 
where  prayer  become  an  established  custom,  than 
the  devout  and  emphatic  prayer  to  the  Almighty  by 
kin^  Solomon,  at  the  dedication  of  the  temple  at 
Jerusalem,  which  he  had  raised  to  the  honor  and 
glory  of  the  God  of  Israel. 

The  language  used  by  the  royal  sage  on  that  occa- 
sion, so  strongly  proves  the  assertion  that  prayer 
became  an  established  custom,  that  we  cannot  re- 


SYNOPSIS  OF  JBWIM1 


frain  from  introducing  to  the  reader  the  following 
extra 

44  That  thine  eyes  may  be  open  toward  this  house, 
u  night  and  day,  even  toward  the  place  of  \>hich 
44  thou  hast  said,  my  name  shall  l»o  there  :  that  thou 
44  maycst  hearken  unto  the  prayer  which  thy  servant 
"  shall  make  toward  this  place.  And  hearken  thou 
44  to  the  supplication  of  this  servant,  an<l  of  thy 
44  people  Israel,  when  they  shall  pray  toward  this 
44  place  ;  and  hear  thou  in  heaven,  thy  dwelling  place, 
k4  and  when  thou  nearest,  forgive." 

The  royal  sago  then  proceeds  to  particularize  the 
nature  of  prayers  most  likely  to  be  used  ;  as  private 
injuries,  national  subjugation,  want  of  rain,  tainine, 
or  pestilence,  even  the  prayer  of  a  stranger  not  of 
the  people  of  Israel,  &c.  Surely,  a  specimen  such 
as  this,  must  prove  an  established  custom.  amon^ 
them  to  consider  it  a  duty  to  pray  to  God  for  favors 
conferred,  and  solicit  his  protection  in  the  hour  of 
trouble  and  distress. 

The  temple  at  Jerusalem  was  certainly  the  conse- 
crated place  of  regular  prayer  and  sacrifices,  for  all 
Israelites  who  were  within  its  reach;  yet,  as  many 
lived  at  too  great  a  distance  from  this  sacred  spot, 
private  devotion  was  no  doubt  regularly  practiced 
among  them.  We  can  trace,  in  history,  many  ac- 
counts of  the  existence  of  places  purposely  devoted 
to  daily  prayer  and  regular  worship.  The  prophets, 
of  whom  we  read,  at  Damascus,  Shiloh,  Bethel,  and 
Jericho,  had,  no  doubt,  a  regular  form  of  prayer  ; 


PHAYKH    AMONG    THK    JEWS.  141 

for,  at  Jericho,  there  was  an  assemblage  called  the 
sons  of  the  prophets. 

After  the  destruction  of  the  first  temple,  the 
Jewish  nation  was  driven  to  Babylon,  and  from  there 
they  became  scattered  about  the  neighboring  heathen 
countries.  The  occasions  for  prayer  and  supplica- 
tion must  have  increased  in  such  a  state  of  slavery 
and  persecution.  Hence  their  addresses  to  the 
Almighty  must  have  become  more  sincere  and  more 
constant.  The  reflection  on  their  former  state  in 
society,  compared  with  that  in  which  they  were  now 
placed,  must  have  caused  in  the  people  a  strong 
feeling  of  devotion,  leading  on  to  the  use  of  regular 
and  earnest  prayer.  Then  it  was,  that  prayer  was 
the  sole  solace  of  the  people,  while  under  such  per- 
secution. 

The  prophet  Daniel  suffered  himself  to  bo  cast 
into  the  lions'  den,  because  he  persisted  in  praying 
three  times  a  day  towards  .Jerusalem,  in  defiance 
of  the  king's  edict,  which  prohibited  any  person  from 
worshipping  any  other  God  but  the  idol  set  up  by  the 
king. 

In  the  days  of  Daniel,  it  is  found  that  the  pure 
Hebrew  used  by  the  Israelites  had  become  much 
corrupted  by  the  intermixture  of  the  Chaldce  and 
other  languages,  with  which  they  became  conversant 
by  their  being  so  closely  united  with  the  strange 
nations.  This  caused  the  holy  tongue  to  be  in  a 
great  measure  forgotten.  Nehemiah  complains  of 
this,  and  says:  "Their  children  spake  half  in  the 
"speech  of  Ashdod,  and  could  not  speak  in  tin;  Ian- 


142  SYNOPSIS    OF  JKWISII    HISTORY. 


of  the  Jews,,  but  according  to  the 
"  of  the  several  people." 

Ezra,  the  scribe,  who  lived  in  those  days,  looked 
on  this  matter  with  considerable  grief.  He  was 
fearful  that  the  people  would  entirely  neglect  their 
holy  worship  on  account  of  the  want  of  a  proper 
knowledge  of  the  sacred  language.  And  he  further 
saw  the  consequences  would  be,  that  when  the  people 
did  pray,  they  would  fail  to  select  proper  expressions 
to  convey  their  feelings  and  sentiments.  K/.ra.  there- 
fore, in  conjunction  with  his  conclave,  collected,  com- 
posed, and  compiled  the  prayers  in  the  pure  and 
original  Hebrew.  They  were  so  arranged  as  to  be 
suitable  for  any  occasion  of  private  and  public  devo- 
tion, both  for  the  morning  and  the  afternoon,  in 
uce  to  the  regular  daily  sacrifices  offered  up  in 
the  temple.  Also,  an  additional  form  of  prayer, 
called  "  Moosoph  "  in  Hebrew,  for  those  days  on 
which  the  additional  sacrifices  had  been  often  -d  ; 
such  as  Sabbaths,  festivals,  and  the  new  moon  ;  also, 
for  the  evening  sacrifice  which  burned  all  night  on 
the  altar  ;  likewise,  the  Nengelah,  or  concluding 
prayer  of  the  day  of  atonement.  These  are  the 
prayers  which  have  been  handed  down  to  the  pos- 
terity of  the  Jews  throughout  the  known  world. 

Ezra  and  his  conclave,  who  performed  this  great 
work,  were  called  "  the  men  of  the  great  assembly 
"  or  synagogue."  The  Talmud,  Maimonides,  and 
other  eminent  Jewish  authorities,  inform  us  that  this 
synod  was  composed  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
persons  of  great  piety  and  learning,  among  whom 


PRAYER   AMONG    THE   JEWS.  143 

were  the  prophets,  Hagai,  Zacharia,  Malachi,  Ezra, 
Nehemiah,  Hananiah,  Mishael,  and  Azaria,  together 
with  many  other  great  men,  whom  we  shall  notice 
hereafter. 

These  prayers  were  in  daily  use  among  the  people 
during  the  second  temple  ;  for  in  the  Mishna,  when 
speaking  of  the  order  observed  in  the  daily  sacrifices 
in  the  temple,  it  is  stated  that  the  prefect  who  gave 
the  instructions,  regularly  said  to  the  officiating 
priests,  "  repeat  ye  one  blessing,"  which  they  did  ; 
then  the  ten  commandments,  and  the  shemang.  li<* 
again  said,  "  repeat  ye  with  the  people  these  bleas- 
"  ings,"  which  they  did,  many  of  which  are  in  daily 
use  among  all  orthodox  Jews.  Besides,  as  we  have 
before  noticed,  many  Israelites  lived  at  great" 
distances  from  the  temple,  and,  therefore,  it  is 
not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  God's  chosen  propl.- 
should  be  altogether  without  some  regular  formulae 
of  prayer. 

Any  person  who  examines  the  prayers  in  daily 
use  among  the  Israelites,  must  become  sensible  of 
their  excellence,  and  the  grateful  expressions  and 
high  wrought  admiration  in  which  they  are  composed. 
They  are  adapted  to  every  situation  in  life,  whether 
in  sorrow  or  in  joy;  in  grief  or  in  mirth.  No  one  \vho 
views  the  wondrous  creation  ;  no  one  possessed  of  the 
slightest  spark  of  gratitude  for  favors  bestowed  ;  nor 
he  who  looks  forward  with  hope  for  relief  in  the  hour 
of  distress,  or  sickness,  can  possibly  have  any  lan- 
guage better  suited  to  his  feelings,  under  any  circum- 
stances, and  on  every  occasion. 


Of  -' 


"1     .il  \VI>M     HISTORY, 

Nothing,  perhaps,  has  tended  so  much  to  keep 
Israel  distinct  from  every  other  nation  in  the  world, 
as  their  religious  customs  and  observances ;  but 
more  especially  so,  their  lan-ua^,  the  sacre.l  original, 
in  which  the  Lord  of  hosts  manifested  himself  to  his 
favorite  creature;  the  language  in  which  they  j-ray, 
and  which,  in  truth,  is  the  only  ivlic  «»f  their  former 
glory  and  paternal  heritage.  It  is  the  continuance 
of  praying  in  the  Hebrew,  which  forms,  as  it  were, 
a  communion  for  their  disbursed  brethren,  from 
whatever  country  or  clime  they  may  migrate,  and 
constitute  themselves  into  a  congregation ;  a  language 
peculiarly  their  own — venerable  for  its  antiquity,  and 
sacred  from  its  first  promulgation,  as  brini:  the 
true  channel  of  divine  revelation. 

The  reader  will  please  understand  that  our  observ- 
ations', as  well  as  the  historical  accounts,  can  only 
have  reference  to  those  prayers  and  supplications 
which  were  composed  for  the  Jew  by  the  men  of  the 
great  synagogue,  as  already  explained.  Alas  !  that 
any  innovation  should  have  been  suffered  to  mar  the 
beauty  of  those  holy  compositions ! 

There  are  many  more  of  a  sacred  character,  such 
as  known  by  the  name  of  "  Peyutem,"  or  poetical 
compositions,  which  are  read  in  the  synagogue  on 
the  festivals  and  other  special  days.  These  are 
of  much  later  date,  and  have  been  introduced,  from 
time  to  time,  into  the  Jewish  liturgy,  by  men  eminent 
fur  their  learing,  piety,  and  devotion.  They  were 
written  under  peculiar  circumstances  of  distress  and 
persecution,  during  the  varied  dispersion  of  the 


PRAYER    AMOXG    THE    JEWS.  145 

nation,  more  especially  in  the  eleventh  and  twelfth 
centuries. 

It  was  then  that  the  Jews  found  consolation  in  the 
dark  storm  of  persecution,  in  pouring  out  their  souls 
in  prayer  and  religious  devotion,  which  they  did 
spontaneously  on  the  different  occasions  which  pre- 
sented themselves.  Their  extempore  effusions  were 
so  characteristic  of  their  pitiful  situation,  that  they 
made  an  indeliMe  impression  upon  the  minds,  not  only 
of  their  composers,  but  also  upon  those  to  whom  they 
were  recited.  To  commemorate  such  events,  these 
compositions  were  committed  to  writing.  In  honor 
to  the  authors,  the  several  congregations  among 
whom  these  pious  men  lived,  introduced  them 
into  the  festival  prayers,  and  other  marked  days. 
These  Jiave  become  embodied  in  the  regular  festival 
and  Sabbath  prayer  book,  and  have  been  in  constant 
use  among  the  German  and  Polish  Jews  up  to  the 
present  day.  The  Portuguese  Jews,  however,  have 
an  entire  different  formula.  Theirs  is  more  ancient 
than  either  the  German  or  Polish.  It  is  w«»rth  notice, 
though  strange,  indeed,  that  the  German  Jews,  who, 
in  a  great  measure,  omit  the  recital  of  these  Peyu- 
tem,  were  the  very  people  aim  nig  whom  they  \\civ 
principally  composed.  It  is,  however,  not  our  pro- 
vince to  discuss  here  the  expediency  of  such  pro- 
ceedings :  we  have  only  to  treat  of  facts  ;  the  reader 
can  judge  for  himself. 

Some  few  exceptions,  however,  exist.  Many 
of  the  Peyutem,  above  mentioned,  claim  a  much 
earlier  date,  and  are  from  the  pen  of  some  of 


146  SYNOPSIS   OF  JEWISH    HISTORY. 

the  most  holy  men  of  the  ancient  race  of  Israel. 
These  compositions  will  l»e  found  in  the  additional 
service  of  new  year  and  day  of  atonement ;  also, 
those  prayers  called  propitiatory — as  the  ASV/r< •//<>//*, 
recited  previously  to  and  during  the  penitential  days. 
They  have  in  all  ages  been  admired  tor  their  beauty 
of  diction,  and  sublimity  of  language,  and  are  highly 
calculated  to  inspire  the  reader  with  profound  awe 
aeration,  when  a  i  linn  to  his  creator. 

It  remains  DOW  only  for  the  Hebrew  laniruuge  to 
become  a  primary  object  of  study  among  all  el; 
so  that  they  may  learn  to  appreciate  tl,.-  hcuuty  of 
God's  own  language,  and  thus  to  be  prepared  with 
devotion  whenever  engaged  in  prayer,  either  in 
private  or  in  public.  If  such  were  the  case,  those 
who  labor  in  the  good  cause  would  be  fully  repaid, 
when,  by  their  exertions,  they  should  succeed  in 
awakening  the  dormant  feelings  of  the  negligent  to 
such  a  duty  of  prayer  as  may  be  acceptable  t<>  ih«- 
creator  of  mankind.  Then  will  the  intelligent  mind 
become  sensible  of  the  excellence  of  the  ancient 
and  holy  liturgy  of  the  chosen  people  of  God. 


' 


CHAPTER    XI. 

Of  the  Ureein  and  Ihumeem. 

"  AND  thou  shalt  put  in  the  breast-plate  of  judg- 
"  ment  the  Ureem  and  Thumeem."  Exodus,  28,  30. 
What  the  Ureem  and  Thumeem  were  is  not  distinct- 
ly explained  in  the  bihlr. 

That  they  were  not  the  twelve  precious  stones 
contained  in  the  breast-plate,  as  some  have  errone- 
ously imagined,  is  quite  clear  ;  for  .we  do  not  find 
that  God  directed  Moses  to  make  the  Ureem  and 
Thumeem,  as  he  did  when  he  said,  "  And  thou  shalt 
"  make  the  breast-plate,"  &c.,  &c. 

It  is  plain  from  the  text  itself,  that  they  were 
something  in  addition  to  the  breast-plate,  and  put 
therein,  after  it  was  finished,  by  Moses  himself;  and 
therefore  God  says,  "  And  thou  shalt  put  into  the 
"  breast-plate  of  judgment  the  Ureem  and  Thu- 
"  meem." 

From  this  fact,  it  is  evident  that  there  was  some- 
thing additional  placed  in  the  breast-plate  by  Moses  ; 
and  for  this  reason,  it  is  supposed  that  it  was  mudo 
double,  that  it  might  the  more  conveniently  hold 


1  IS  SYrfOPSIS   OF  JRWT8H    HISTORY. 

them.  It  now  remains  to  inquire  what  (he  Ureem 
and  Thumeem  in  reality  were,  and  what  the  particu- 
lar use  of  them.  As  to  the  former,  there  are  vari- 
ous opinions  among  the  learned.  Many  celebrated 
Christian  divines  have  ventured  many  erroneous 
definitions  on  the  subject.  According  to  the  opin- 
ions of  the  most  erudite  and  pious  I lrl> ivw  doctors 
and  rabbins,  the  following  appears  to  be  the  most 
reasonable  view  of  the  case. 

It  was,  say  the  rabbins,  the  Tetragrammaion,  ot 
ineffable  name  of  the  Deity,  which  Moses  was  com- 
manded to  place  in  the  breast-plate,  and  was  conse- 
crated to  holy  purposes.  It  was  vested  with  divine 
power  to  give  an  oracular  reply  from  God  to  any 
counsel  being  asked  of  him  by  the  high  priest,  dur- 
ing the  time  in  which  he  wore  it.  Now,  as  the  ans- 
wer came  immediately  from  God,  it  was  therefore 
properly  designated  "  asking  counsel  of  God.'*  As 
to  the  Ureem  and  Thumeem,  it  was  especially  to  ask 
counsel  of  God  on  such  momentous  occasions  only, 
in  relation  to  the  Jewish  nation. 

In  the  Mishna  of  YoomaJi  are  explained  three 
express  conditions  necessary  to  be  observed  in  the 
asking  of  counsel  by  the  Ureem  and  Thumeem. 

FIRST. — Concerning  the  person  inquiring.  He 
must  not  be  a  private  person.  He  must  be  either 
the  king,  the  president  of  the  Sanhedrin,  who  pre- 
sided over  the  whole  nation,  the  general  of  the  army, 
or  some  other  noble  prince,  or  governor  in  Israel. 

SECOND. — Concerning  the  nature  of  the  question. 
It  must  not  be  respecting  the  affairs  of  private  per- 


OF  THE  UREEM  AND  THUMEEM.        149 

sons ;  but  such  only  as  relate  to  the  public  interest 
of  the  whole  nation,  either  of  church  or  state. 

THIRD. — Concerning  the  person  who  presents  the 
question.  He  must  be  the  high  priest,  clothed  in  his 
pontifical  robes,  and  his  breast-plate  with  the  Ureem 
and  Thumeem. 

The  learned  Maimonides  observes  in  his  celebrated 
work,  "  Moreh  Nevoocheem,"  or  a  "  guide  to  the 
"perplexed"  part  second,  chapter  forty-five,  that 
the  Ureem  and  Thumeem  was  a  degree  of  the  divine 
inspiration.  Speaking  of  the  different  degrees  or 
orders  of  prophecy,  he  says  :  "  And  thus  every  high 
"  priest  who  inquired  by  the  Ureem  and  Thumeem 
"  was  of  this  order,  as  already  mentioned." 

The  divine  presence  rested  on  him,  and  he  spoke 
by  the  holy  spirit,  that  is,  he  delivered  his  answers 
with  the  assistance  of  the  holy  inspiration.  Accord- 
ing to  this  opinion,  it  was  but  one  degree  below  the 
spirit  of  prophecy.  All  the  learned  and  eminent 
men  among  the  Jews  say,  that  the  manner  of  asking 
counsel,  and  receiving  the  answer  thereto,  was  as 
follows. 

The  person  who  inquired  did  not  make  the  request 
in  an  audible  tone  ;  but  in  such  a  way  as  one  who  is 
at  his  devotion  pronounces  the  words,  sufficiently 
loud  to  be  heard  by  none  but  himself. 

The  question  being  made,  the  priest  looked  into 
the  breast-plate,  and  on  perceiving  some  letters  on 
the  stone  of  the  same  glistening,  he,  by  combining 
them  together,  obtained  the  answer.  We  shall  best 


150  SYNOPSIS    OF  JKWISH    HISTORY. 

exemplify  the  foregoing  by  the  following  passage  from 
the  book  of  Judges. 

44  Now,  after  the  death  of  Joshua,  it  came  to  pass 
44  that  the  children  of  Israel  asked  the  Lord,  saying, 
44  who  shall  go  up  for  us  against  the  Canaanites  first, 
44  to  fight  against  them."  The  reply  was:  "  Ye- 
«  Huda  Yangalch,"  or  "Judah  shall  go  up ;"  for 
as  soon  as  the  question  was  propounded,  the  priest 
looked  into  the  breast-plate,  and  seeing  the  name  of 
Judah  appear  prominent,  he  was  assured  that  Judah 
was  the  tribe.  The  priest  looked  airain,  and  beheld 
the  Yod  shine,  the  Xg-ain  from  the  name  of  Sinn  <>n  : 
thru  the  Lamed  from  another  name,  and  the  Hek 
from  another ;  these  four  letters  being  put  together 
made  the  word  "  Yangaleh,"  which  signifies,  "  He 
44  skall  go  vp."  When  the  priest  found  that  no 
more  letters  glistened,  he  knew  immediately  that  the 
answer  was  completed.  Hence  the  reason  why  they 
are  called  Uireem,  which  signifies  Light,  from  the 
shining  of  the  letters ;  and  Thumeem,  or  perfection, 
as  the  answer  was  thus  complete  and  perfected. 

This  fact  distinguished  the  Jewish  oracles  from  the 
pretended  heathen  oracles,  which  were  always  deliv- 
ered in  an  enigmatical  and  ambiguous  manner.  The 
Jewish  oracles  were  always  clear  and  explicit,  never 
falling  short  of  perfection,  either  in  the  manifestation 
or  the  certainty  of  the  truth  thereof. 

During  the  existence  of  the  second  temple,  the 
Ureein  and  Thumeem  were  not  consulted ;  for  when 
the  ark  and  coverlid,  the  cherubim  and  the  two 
tables  of  stone,  disappeared  at  the  destruction  of  the 


OF  THE  URKEM  AND  THUMEEM.        151 

first  temple,  the  breast-plate  with  the  Ureem  and 
Thumeem  shared  the  same  fate.  Notwithstanding 
that  on  the  return  of  the  Jews  to  Jerusalem,  they 
had  the  pontifical  robes,  with  the  breast-plate  with 
four  rows  of  stones,  engraved  with  the  names  of  the 
tribes  of  Israel ;  yet  no  question  was  ever  asked,  and 
consequently  no  communication  ever  received  from 
the  Ureem  and  Thumeem.  Two  reasons  are  as- 
signed for  this. 

FIRST. — Because  the  said  Ureem  and  Thumeem 
were  instituted  to  ask  counsel  of  the  Lord  of  such 
things  which  concerned  all  the  tribes  of  Israel,  and 
the  common  interest  of  the  whole  nation.  Now, 
there  being  at  that  time  the  tribes  of  Judah  and 
Benjamin  only,  these  oracles  could  not  be  consulted, 
the  common  interest  of  the  nation  having  then 
ceased. 

SECONDLY — And  possibly  the  principal  reason, 
was,  that  the  Tetragramnmloi^  or  ineffable  name 
of  the  Deity,  which  Moses  put  between  the  folds  of 
the  breast-plate,  was  wanting.  This  being  the  most 
important  part,  and  the  very  essence  of  the  whole—- 
when the  cause  ceased,  the  effect  also  ceased. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

Of  the  MUhna,  or  Oral  Law. 

THB  Pentateuch,  or  written  law,  was  communi- 
cated by  God  to  Moses,  aiid  by  him  to  the  people  of 
Israel  at  different  times,  and  adapted  to  the  various 
•eatooa,  places  and  circumstances  during  the  forty 
yean'  sojourn  me  nt  in  the  wilderness. 

The  mode  adopted  in  instructing  the  Israelites  in 
the  wilderness  in  the  divine  law  was  as  follows : 
Every  passage  or  chapter  of  the  written  law,  whether 
historical  or  preceptive,  was  written  by  Moses,  as 
received  from  God  himself,  which  he  placed  before 
his  council  or  senate,  called,  afterwards,  Sanhedrin, 
as  well  as  before  the  whole  body  of  the  people.  This 
council  consisted  of  seventy  elders,  or  senators,  the 
most  learned  and  pious  among  the  nation,  of  whom 
Moses  was  the  president.  Every  chapter  of  the  law 
was  explained  by  Moses  according  to  the  oral  tradi- 
tion, which  he  received  coeval  with  the  written  law. 
The  agreement  of  these  two  was  proved  in  such  a 
way  as  to  show  that  the  oral  law  is  the  true  and 
genuine  spirit  and  sense  of  the  Pentateuch ;  that 


OF  THE  MISHNA,  OB  ORAL  LAW.  153 

they  are  so  intimately  and  inseparably  connected 
with  each  other  as  to  be  considered  as  one  and  indi- 
visible. 

Aaron,  the  high  priest,  was  honored  with  the  ap- 
pointment of  repeating,  for  the  instruction  of  the 
people,  all  the  learning  taught  by  his  brother  Moses. 
Aaron  was  succeeded  by  his  sons.     Then  came  the 
elders  who  gathered  together  all  the  Israelites  and 
placed  them  in  their  several  academies  for  the  study 
of  the  law.     Every  individual  of  Israel  was  permit- 
ted to  make  memoranda  of  the  oral  law,  in  order 
to  assist  the  memory,  for  personal  and  private  con- 
venience, but  the  public  instruction  was  taught  orally. 
This  oral  tradition  was  transmitted  from  Moses  down 
to  the  days  of  the  celebrated  Rabbi,  Judah  the 
Prince,  son  of  the  learned  Simqn  the  Just,  about  a 
hundred  and  fifty  years  after  the  destruction  of  the 
second  temple.     After  the  death  of  Moses,  Joshua 
the  son  of  Nun,  his  successor,  taught  the  said  law  in 
his  Sanhedrin,  and  delivered  it  to  the  elders  who  suc- 
ceeded him  ;  and  in  like  manner  the  tradition  of  the 
Mishna  was  successively  transferred  from  generation 
to  generation,  and  was  concluded  by  Rabbi  Judah, 
above  named,  who  flourished  in  the  reign  of  the  Em- 
peror Antoninus,  Ijy  whom  he  was  honored  with  the 
title  of  Prince,  and  invested  with  a  supremacy  of 
power  for  his  office.     It  was  generally  believed  in 
those  days  that  there  never  rose  up  in  Israel  any 
man  like  unto  him,  in  whom  so  much  piety,  wealth 
and  glory  were  united. 

It  was  in  consequence  of  his  extreme  pierty  and 
H 


SYNOPSIS    OK   JBWIMI     HI>TORT. 

devotion  to  spiritual  purposes  only,  and  divesting 
himself  of  all  worldly  cares  and  pleasures,  that  he 
was  designated  Rabbinu  Hakodesh.  or  the  il,.ly 
Rabbi.  This  pious  man,  acting  as  president  of  the 
Sanhedrin,  consulted  his  colleagues,  who,  perceiving 
the  decline  of  literature,  such  as  contained  in  the 
oral  law  at  that  period,  and  fearful  of  the  00099- 
quences  thereof  to  tl.<  nation  at  large,  took  into  their 
serious  consideration  the  necessity  of  adopting  some 
plan  by  which  such  tradition  should  not  he  entirely 
forgotten.  They  saw  and  felt  that  the  many  sufferings 
and  persecutions  inflicted  upon  their  co-religion  ists 
would  ultimately  be  the  cause  of  the  loss  of  that 
knowledge  which  was  so  dear  to  them  as  God's  own 
people.  That  it  would  be  impossible  for  future  gen- 
erations to  understand  the  practical  part  of  the  divine 
precepts  as  embodied  in  the  Pentateuch.  It  was 
therefore  with  holy  zeal  that  they  judged  it  \ 
to  collect  and  conij.il.-  all  the  oral  tradition  explana- 
tory of  the  written  law  and  commit  the  same  to 
writing,  in  order  that  it  should  he  handed  down  to 
posterity.  This  is  die  same  Mishna.  now  in  exist- 
ainong  the  Jews  at  this  day.  It  is  written  in 
short  sentences  and  aphorism-  n. -rally  consid- 

ered to  be  in  pure  Hebrew,  with  some  few  exceptions. 
It  contains  full  elucidations  of  the  Pentateuch,  as 
admitted  by  the  most  eminent  Jewish  doctors  of  all 
ages,  who  testify  that  without  such  elucidations  the 
written  law  would  have  remained  a  sealed  book  to 
the  world  at  large. 

In  the  following  chapter  we  shall  treat  of  the  Gc- 


OF  THE  MISHNA,  OR  OEAL  LAW.  155 

mara,  or  Completion,  usually  called  the  Talmud,  the 
same  being  a  commentary  on  the  Mishna. 

For  the  present,  we  shall  content  ourselves  by  lay- 
ing before  our  readers  a  succinct  account  of  the  con- 
tents of  the  Mishna. 

The  Mishna  is  divided  into  six  general  heads, 
called  in  Hebrew,  Sedoreem,  orders  or  classes.  The 
first  is  styled  Zeroeem,  which  signifies  seeds,  and  is 
subdivided  into  eleven  sections. 

FIRST — BEROCHOUT,  OR  BLESSINGS. — This  sec- 
tion treats  of  the  laws  directing  the  order  of  pray- 
ers and  thanksgivings  for  the  produce  of  the  earth, 
and  for  all  other  benefits  conferred  on  man  by  the 
beneficent  creator  ;  with  the  consideration  as  to  time 
and  place  when  they  are  to  be  said  or  repeated. 

SECOND — PYOH,  OR  CORNER. — This  section  treats 
of  those  laws  which  direct  the  leaving  of  the  corner 
of  the  field,  as  the  portion  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor, 
as  commanded  in  the  book  of  Leviticus. 

THIRD— DEMAI,  OR  DOUBTFUL. — This  treats  of 
such  tilings  of  which  there  exists  some  doubt,  as  to 
tithes  having  been  paid  for  them,  the  Israelites  not 
being  allowed  to  eat  of  anything  until  it  had  been 
tithed. 

FOURTH — TERUMOUS,  OR  OBLATIONS. — This  sec- 
tion points  out  such  things  of  which  a  portion  was  to 
be  set  apart  as  devoted  to  the  use  of  the  priests. 

FIFTH — SHEVINGIS,  OR  SEVENTH. — This  section 
explains  the  laws  of  the  seventh  year,  called  the 
Sabbatical  year,  during  which  period  the  land  was  to 
remain  at  rest,  and  lie  fallow  ;  and  during  which 


156  SYNOPSIS    OF  JEWISH    HISTORY. 

time  all  debts  were  remitted  and  obligations  can- 
celed. 

SIXTII— KILLAYIM,  OR  MIXTURES. — This  portion 
lays  down  the  laws  which  prohibit  the  mixing  or 
joining  of  things  together  of  an  opposite  or  different 
nature  or  species  ;  as,  the  sowing  of  various  kinds  of 
seeds  in  one  and  the  same  spot  of  ground  ;  or  sufl.T- 
ing  cattle  of  different  kinds  to  engender;  or  t In- 
grafting a  scion  of  one  species  of  plant  on  the  stock 
of  another  of  a  different  character. 

SEVENTH — M ANU SIRE  REESHOUN,  OR  FIRST  Trim:. 
This  section  signifies  the  first  tithes,  and  treats  of 
the  laws  of  the  said  tithes  which  shall  be  apportioned 
to  the  Levites. 

EIGHTH — MANGSIRE  SHYNEE,  OR  SECOND  TITIII •:>. 
This  treats  of  the  laws  of  the  second  tithes,  which 
were  to  be  taken  up  to  Jerusalem,  and  there  to  be 
eaten,  or  to  be  redeemed,  and  the  produce  expended 
at  Jerusalem  in  peace  offerings. 

FIFTH — CHALAH,  LOAF,  OR  CAKE. — This  section 
speaks  of  the  laws  relative  to  setting  apart  a  cake  of 
dough  for  the  priests ;  of  the  description  of  dough 
the  cake  should  be,  and  what  kind  of  dough  was 
prohibited  from  being  used  for  the  purpose. 

Ti .NTH — ORLAH,  OR  UNCIRCUMCISED. — This  sec- 
tion explains  the  law  touching  the  illegality  of  eat- 
ing the  fruit  of  any  tree  until  the  fifth  year  of  its 
growth.  As  follows  :  During  the  first  three  years 
of  its  bearing  fruit,  it  must  not  be  eaten  ;  the  fourth 
year  it  was  holy  to  the  Lord  ;  and  on  the  fifth  year, 
it  was  permitted  to  be  eaten  by  the  owner  thereof. 


OF  THE  MISHNA,  OR  ORAL  LAW.  157 

ELEVENTH — BICKUREEM,  OR  FIRST  RIPE  FRUITS. 
This  section  treats  of  the  manner  in  which  the  first 
ripe  fruits  were  to  he  offered  up  in  the  holy  temple  at 
Jerusalem. 

The  second  general  head  or  class  is  called  Seder 
Moedy  or  order  of  festivals.  It  is  so  denominated 
because  it  treats  of  all  those  laws  which  were  made 
concerning  festivals  and  days  of  solemn  observance. 
This  second  class  is  divided  into  twelve  sections. 

FIRST — SABBATH,  OR  REST.— This  is  so  called  be- 
cause it  treats  of  all  the  laws  respecting  the  Sab- 
bath. This  division  contains  twenty-four  chapters. 

SECOND — EYRUVEEN,  OR  MIXTURES,  OR  ASSOCIA- 
TIONS.— This  section  shows  in  what  manner  food 
might  be  conveyed  from  house  to  house  on  the  Sab- 
bath day.  All  the  inhabitants  of  the  court  or  place 
in  which  the  association  was  formed,  were  allowed  so 
to  do.  It  also  explains  the  rules  laid  down  for  any 
journey  to  be  made  on  the  Sabbath. 

THIRD — PESOCHIM,  OR  PASSOVER. — This  portion 
treats  of  all  the  laws,  customs,  and  ceremonies,  to 
be  observed  at  the  offering  up  of  the  paschal  lamb 
on  the  eve  of  the  festival  of  Passover. 

FOURTH — SHEKOLEEM,  OR  SHEKELS. — This  treats 
of  the  half  shekels,  which  every  Israelite,  whether 
rich  or  poor,  was  bound  to  pay  every  year  towards 
defraying  the  expenses  of  the  daily  sacrifices  offered 
up  on  the  altar  in  Jerusalem. 

FIFTH — YOUMOH,  OR  DAY. — This  section  treats  of 
the  great  and  solemn  day  of  atonement ;  pointing  out 
the  ceremonies  of  the  day,  and  the  duties  of  the 


-Y  \OP9I8    OF   .irwisn    III9TOUT. 


high  priest  on  that  holy  occasion.  It  also  si.raks  of 
the  sacrifices  which  were  to  be  offered  up  as  expia- 
tions for  the  sins  of  the  people. 

OH,  OR  TABERNACLE.  —  This  portion 
treats  of  the  feast  of  tabernacles.  It  points  out  in 
what  manner  the  tabernacle  should  be  built  ;  the  use 
of  the  palm  tree,  the  citron,  the  myrtle,  and  the 
willow  of  the  brook,  which  were  ordered  to  be  taken 
and  used  on  the  said  festival. 

SEVENTH  —  YOUM  Touv,  OR  FESTIVAL.  —  It  is 
called,  also,  Bytsoh,  or  Egg,  being  the  word  with 
which  it  commences.  This  section  contains  the  laws 
and  regulations  for  the  due  observance  of  the  festi- 
vals of  the  Lord.  It  points  out  what  work  may,  or 
may  not,  be  lawfully  done  on  any  of  the  festivals 
which  are  called  holy  days  of  convocation,  on  which 
all  manual  labor  or  traffic  is  prohibited. 

EIGHTH  —  ROUSH  HASHONO,  OR  NEW  YEAR.  —  This 
treats  of  the  laws  and  solemnities  of  the  sacred  day 
of  the  new  year  ;  such  as  the  sounding  of  the  shour 
phar  or  cornet  ;  of  the  prayers  and  regular  service 
of  that  holy  occasion.  It  describes,  also,  the  cere- 
mony for  the  observance  at  the  appearance  of  the 
new  moon,  by  which  all  the  holy  days  were  regulate*! 
by  the  Sanhedrin  during  the  existence  of  the  second 
temple. 

NINTH  —  TANGANEES,  OR  FAST.  —  This  division 
treats  of  the  different  fasts  held  throughout  the  year, 
and  the  manner  in  which  they  are  to  be  observed  by 
every  Israelite.  These  fasts  are  held  on  different 
occasions  for  various  reasons,  and  purposes  ;  such  as 


OF  THE  MISHNA,  OR  ORAL  LAW.  159 

days  of  repentance,  humiliation,  and  of  calamity  and 
misfortune  which  befel  the  nation  in  the  several  ages 
of  persecution. 

TENTH — MEGILLOH,  OR  ROLL  OF  THE  BOOK  OF 
ESTHER. — This  section  treats  of  the  feast  of  Purira, 
and  directs  how  the  roll  shall  be  written  and  read  on 
this  festival.  It  speaks  of  many  other  rules  and 
regulations  to  be  observed  on  this  feast,  which  com- 
memorates the  miraculous  deliverance  of  the  Jewish 
people  from  the  hands  of  the  wicked  Ilaman,  who 
contemplated  the  destruction  of  the  whole  nation. 
It  also  treats  of  the  laws  concerning  the  synagogue, 
and  the  reading  of  the  holy  law  on  the  several  days 
of  solemn  and  religious  observance  throughout  the 
year. 

Kl.KVI'N Til — MOED  KOTON,  OR  LESSER  FESTIVALS. 

This  treats  of  such  work  as  may  or  ciay  not  be  dono 
.  the  middle  days  of  the  passovcr  and  taVrna- 
cle  holidays.  It  is,  therefore,  called  Moed  Koton, 
as  the  middle  days  of  the  said  festivals  are  consid- 
ered less  holy  than  the  first  and  last  two  days.  It 
contains,  also,  the  laws  regulating  the  conduct  of 
mourners. 

TWELFTH — HAGIGAH,  OR  FESTIVAL  OFFERINGS. 
This  section  specifies  the  laws  relating  to  the  offer- 
ings made  on  the  different  festivals  ;  the  description 
of  the  persons  ;  how  they  are  to  be  qualified,  and  in 
what  manner  they  are  to  appear  before  the  Lord  on 
the  three  great  festivals  in  every  year,  when  all  the 
Israelites  that  possibly  could,  were  expected  to  be  in 
attendance  at  the  holy  city  of  Jerusalem. 


I';H  -r\oPSI8    OF   .ir\vi>li    HISTORY. 

The  thiftl  general  head,  or  class,  is  called  No- 
sheem,  or  women.  This  is  subdivided  into  seven 
sections. 

FIRST— YKVOMOUS,  OR  MARRIAGE.— This  section 
is  so  called,  as  it  treats  of  the  laws  by  which  one 
brother  is  expected  to  marry  the  relict  of  his  de- 
ceased brother.  It  shows  how,  and  when,  the  obli- 
gation shall  take  place  ;  the  duties  and  the  ceremo- 
nies  to  be  observed  at  the  performance  of  the  same. 

SECOND  —  KBSUVOUS,  OR  DOCUMENTS.  —  This 
speaks  of  the  laws  relating  to  marriage  contracts, 
and  dowries,  and  of  estates,  whether  real  or  personal, 
which  may  fall  to  some  married  women ;  how  the 
same  shall  be  disposed  of,  by,  or  allotted  to,  the  said 
party  or  parties. 

THIRD — NKDOREEM,  OR  Vows. — This  treats  of 
such  vows  which,  when  made,  become  binding,  and 
by  What  persons  such  vows  shall  be  made  ;  how  vows 
are  considered  null  and  void,  since  the  husband  has 
the  power  of  confirming  or  annulling  the  vows  of  his 
wife.  This  law  is  very  particularly  specified,  as  to 
how  such  may  be  done  ;  and  the  class  of  vows  which 
fall  under  the  control  of  the  husband,  and  those 
which  do  not. 

FOURTH — NOZEER,  OR  NAZARITE. — This  section 
treats  of  those  laws  which  guide  the  different  classes 
of  Nazarites  who  take  upon  themselves  the  vows  of 
abstinence. 

FIFTH — SOTAH,  OR  TO  TURN  ASIDE. — This  treats 
of  the  enactments  relating  to  trials  occasioned 
through  jealousy  between  man  and  wife  ;  the  nature 


OF  THE  MISHNA,  OR  ORAL  LAW.  161 

of  the  punishment  inflicted  on  the  woman,  if  it  be 
proved  that  she  had  been  guilty  of  the  crime  of 
adultery. 

SIXTH — GITTEN,  OR  LETTER  OF  DIVORCE. — This 
treats  of  the  laws  of  divorce.  It  explains  when,  and 
under  what  circumstances,  a  divorce  may  be  granted. 
It  directs  also  all  the  formulae  to  be  used  and  ob- 
served in  all  cases  of  divorce. 

SEVENTH — KEDUSHEEN,  OR  BETROTHING. — This 
treats  of  the  laws,  customs,  and  ceromony  of  betroth- 
ing ;  the  forms,  rites,  and  regulations  to  be  observed 
at  the  solemnization  of  the  marriage  according  to  the 
laws  of  Moses  and  Israel. 

The  fourth  general  head,  or  class,  ia  called  Nezee- 
keen,  or  Damages.  This  class  is  divided  into  eight 
sections ;  the  first  of  which  is  again  subdivided  into 
three  separate  sections,  as  follow. 

FIRST — BOVOH  KAMMA,  OR  FIRST  GATE. — This 
first  section  treats  of  all  such  damages,  which  may 
be  recovered  for  injuries  done,  either  by  man  or 
beast. 

SECOND — BOVOH  MEZIAII,  OR  MIDDLE  GATE. — 
This  treats  of  the  laws  of  usury.  It  explains  what 
is,  and  what  is  not,  considered  an  act  of  usury.  It 
speaks  also  on  matters  of  special  trust ;  of  letting  or 
hire,  and  such  like  transactions  between  man  and 
man. 

THIRD — BOVOH  BOSROH,-  OR  LAST  GATE. — This 
treats  of  the  laws  relating  to  commerce,  copartner- 
ship, buying  and  selling ;  also,  the  laws  of  inherit- 
ance, and  the  right  of  succession. 

H* 


I.'!' 


\\I-1!     HISTORY. 


The  above  three  sections  are  called  by  the  Talmud 
and  Mishna,  gates,  because,  in  the  East,  the  courts 
of  law  were  held  within  the  gates  of  the  city. 

SECOND — SA  M  1 1  \ >  K  i :  i •:  .v,  OR  SENATE. — This  speaks 
of  the  great  senate,  as  also  of  the  minor  courts  of 
judicature  ;  of  the  causes  for  trial,  and  the  nature  of 
the  punishment  inflicted  for  the  several  crimes  ;  the 
four  kinds  of  death,  as  the  penalty  for  capital  offenses. 
It  describes,  also,  MTV  minutely,  the  mode  to  bo 
adopted  by  the  Judges  in  the  examination  of  wit- 


TIIIRD — MACCOUS,  OR  Pi-xisHMKXT. — This  por- 
tion treats  more  especially  of  that  u  l.irh  may  con- 
stitute false  testimony,  or  inadmissible  evidence ;  the 
laws  relative  to  the  forty  stripes  inflicted  on  the  de- 
linquent ;  the  reason  why  the  rabbins  directed  that 
only  thirty-nine  stripes  should  be  inflicted  instead  of 
forty,  as  stated  in  the  l»il»le  ;  also,  the  manner  in 
which  the  said  punishment  should  be  administered. 
It  relates,  likewise,  the  regulations  to  be  observed 
by  such  persons  who  were  compelled  to  seek  shelter 
in  the  cities  of  refuge. 

FOURTH — SHEVUNGOUS,  OR  OATHS. — This  section 
explains  the  laws  to  be  observed  in  the  administra- 
tion of  an  oath  ;  in  what  cases  an  oath  shall  or  shall 
not  be  submitted  to  the  contending  parties ;  who 
shall  or  who  shall  not  be  considered  qualified  to  take 
the  oath. 

FIFTH — ADOTOUS,  TESTIMONIES  OK  EVIDENCES. 
This  treats  of  the  decisions  of  the  many  important 
cases,  collected  from  the  evidence  and  testimony  o 


OF  THE  MISHNA,  OR  ORAL  LAW.  163 

• 

the  most  eminent  and  learned  rabbins  and  doctors  of 
the  great  Sanhedrin  of  olden  times. 

SIXTH — AVOUDOH  ZOROH,  OR  IDOLATRY. — This 
section  is  so  called,  as  it  treats  of  all  manner  of  idol- 
atry. It  is  also  entitled  the  "  the  worship  of  the 
planets"  It  explains  the  manner  and  form  of  the 
different  modes  of  worship,  as  practised  by  the  idol- 
atrous nations,  with  the  view  of  preventing  the  Is- 
raelite from  becoming  contaminated  by  them. 

SEVENTH — Ovous,  OR  FATHERS. — This  section 
contains  the  history  of  those  holy  fathers  who,  in 
their  respective  ages,  successively  received  by  tradi- 
tion the  oral  law ;  from  the  days  of  Moses,  the  great 
lawgiver,  down  to  the  period  when  it  was  compiled 
ami  committed  to  writing  by  the  celebrated  rabbinu 
Hakodesh.  It  contains,  also,  many  of  the  wise  say- 
ings, aphorisms,  and  moral  maxims  of  the  learned 
men,  and  is  therefore  Called  the  "  Ethics  of  the 
fathers." 

EIGHTH — HOUROYOUS,  OR  PRECEPTS. — This  sec- 
tion is  so  called,  because  it  treats  of  the  punishment 
and  penalty  to  be  inflicted  on  those  who  should  pre- 
sumptuously act  against,  or  teach  anything  in  opposi- 
tion to,  the  decrees  and  decisions  of  the  great  Sanhe- 
drin at  Jerusalem. 

The  fifth  general  head,  or  class,  is  called  Kodo- 
sheem,  or  holy  things.  It  is  subdivided  into  eleven 
sections. 

FIRST — ZEVOCIIEEM,  OR  SACRIFICES. — This  sec- 
tion treats  of  the  order  to  be  observed  in  offering  up 
tli<-  rattir  f«»r  sacrifices,  and  points  out  their  nature 


164  SYNOPSIS    OF   JEWISH    HISTORY. 

and  quality.  It  also  relates  the  time  and  the  place ; 
and  specifies  by  whom  they  were  to  be  killed  ami 
brought  up  as  an  offering  upon  the  altar  of  the  Lord. 

SECOND — MINITUOUS,  OR  MEAT  OFFERING. — 
This  portion  treats  of  the  oblations  of  oil,  flour,  and 
wine,  proper  for  each  offering ;  and  of  the  two  \\ai\v 
loaves,  which  were  to  bo  made  of  fine  flour,  such  as 
were  offered  up,  on  the  festival  of  pentecost. 

THIRD— CUOOUN,  OK  PROFANE. — This  section 
points  out  that  which  is  clean,  and  that  which  is  un- 
clean ;  what  may  and  what  may  not  be  lawfully 
eaten ;  and  the  law  which  prohibits  the  killing  of  the 
dam  and  its  young,  both  in  one  day.  It  also  shows 
the  law  prohibiting  the  eating  of  the  "  sinew  which 
shrank ;"  and  the  law  forbidding  the  taking  of  the 
dam  with  its  young.  It,  moreover,  embraces  the 
laws  appertaining  to  the  killing  of  cattle  and  fowl  for 
domestic  use  ;  and  who  mrfy,  and  who  may  not,  be 
permitted  to  kill  the  animals  for  food  to  be  eaten  by 
Israelites. 

FOURTH— BBCUOUROUS,  OR  FIRST  BORN.-— This 
section  treats  of  the  laws  relating  to  the  first  born  of 
both  man  and  cattle  ;  pointing  out  in  what  manner, 
and  at  which  period,  they  were  to  be  redeemed, 
either  with  money,  or  brought  up  as  an  offerin.ir  t«» 
the  Lord.  It  speaks  also  of  the  tithes  of  all  manner 
of  cattl*-. 

FIFTH — EYRACHIN,  OR  VALUATION,  OR  ESTIMA- 
TION.— This  section  treats  of  the  manner  in  which, 
things  devoted  to  the  Almighty  arc  valued,  so  that 
they  may  be  redeemed  and  applied  to  ordinary  pur- 


OF  THE  MISHNA,  OK  ORAL  LAW.  1(5.") 

poses ;  as  also  how  the  priest  shall  value  a  field,  de- 
voted or  sacrificed  to  the  Lord  by  its  owner. 

SIXTH — TEMUROH,  OR  EXCHANGE. — This  portion 
explains  how  far  it  may  be  lawful  to  exchange  one 
sacred  thing  for  another  ;  as,  whether  an  animal 
which  had  been  consecrated  as  an  offering  to  be  sac- 
rificed to  the  Lord  might  be  exchanged.  In  most 
cases,  where  an  animal  had  been  consecrated  to  the 
Lord,  and  then  exchanged,  both  the  animal  and  its 
substitute  became  sacred. 

SEVENTH — KERISUS,  OR  EXCISIONS. — This  sec- 
tion relates  to  offenses  which,  if  wantonly  committed, 
were  punished  by  the  offender  being  cut  off  from 
among  the  people,  called  Kohrice.  It  points  out,  at 
the  same  time,  what  offenders  were  liable  to  this 
punishment.  It  likewise  explains  how  those  who  had 
offended  through  accident,  had  to  bring  a  sin  or  tres- 
pass offering. 

EIGHTH — MENGELOH,  OR  TRESPASS. — This  portion 
treats  of  the  nature  of  the  trespass  made  by  con- 
verting such  things  which  have  been  consecrated  and 
devoted  to  holy 'purposes,  to  profane  or  unholy  mat- 
ters. 

NINTH — TOMBED,  OR  CONTINUAL  OFFERINGS. — 
Herein  are  specified  the  daily  sacrifices,  and  the  de- 
scription as  to  how,  and  in  what  manner,  they  were  to 
be  offered  upon  the  altar  of  the  Lord. 

TENTH — MIDDOUS,  OR  DIMENSIONS. — This  book 
is  so  called,  because  it  speaks  of  the  dimensions  and 
proportions  of  the  temple.  It  desciibes  the  mount 
on  whiclv,  the  temple  stood,  and  the  full  extent  of  the 


166  MMM'SIS    OF    .)!    \\1M1     !ll>I«n;\. 

outer  court.  This  was  considered  requisite  to  be 
known;  for  whoever  had  become  unclean,  from  any 
circumstance  whatever,  was  prohibited  i'n>m  cnti-rin^ 
the  temple  on  pain  of  excision. 

in — KONBEM,  OR  NESTS. — This  section 
speaks  of  the  birds,  such  as  pigeons  or  tiirtle-<l.,v(>s, 
which  were  brought  as  offerings  by  the  poor,  instead 
of  the  more  expensive,  which  they  were  unable  to 
bring.  The  smaller  value  was  equally  acceptable  to 
the  God  of  mercy  and  kindness. 

The  sixth  general  head,  or  class,  is  entitled  Ta- 
harous,  or  purifications.  It  is  divided  into  twelve 
sections. 

^r—  KYLKKM,  OR  VESSELS,  UTKNSM.S.— This 
book  is  so  called,  because  it  treats  of  the  pollutions 
incident  to  vessels,  and  how  they  are  to  be  pnriiie<l 
from  such  uncleanness.  It  treats  also  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  garments  of  every  description  may  be 
purified,  in  the  event  of  their  becoming  polluted  or 
defiled  by  uncleanness  of  any  kind. 

SECOND  —  OHOLOUS,  OR  TEXTS.  —  This  section 
treats  of  the  manner  in  which  houses  become  pol- 
luted ;  the  nature  of  such  pollutions ;  and  how  far 
those  who  enter  such  dwellings  may  thereby  become 
contaminated,  and  how  they  may  be  purified. 

THIRD — NEOOIM,  OR  PLAQUES,  OR  DISEASES. — 
This  book  explains  all  the  laws  relative  to  the  plague 
of  leprosy ;  whether  on  man  or  beast,  dwellings  or 
garments.  It  shows  how  and  in  what  manner  infec- 
tion took  place  ;  and  how  the  things  or  persons  so 
afflicted  may  become  purified. 


OF  THE  MISHNA,  OR  OR4L  LAW.  167 

FOURTH  —  POROH,  OR  HEIFER.  —  This  section 
speaks  of  the  laws  relating  to  the  red  heifer  ;  how 
the  said  heifer  should  be  burned  to  ashes,  in  order  to 
make  the  water  for  purification  ;  and  in  what  man- 
ner all  defilements,  contracted  by  the  touch  or  con- 
tact of  a  dead  body,  could  be  purified  by  means  of 
the  ashes  of  the  red  heifer. 

FIFTH  —  TAHAROUS,  OR  PURIFICATIONS.  —  This 
portion  treats  of  all  those  laws  pertainin.ir  to  such  de- 
filements which  may  be  contracted  otherwise  than 
by  the  touch  of  a  dead  body ;  and  of  the  manner 
prrrification  may,  and  can  take  place. 

SIXTH  —  MIKVOOUS,  OR  BATHS.  —  This  section 
treats  of  the  laws  and  regulations  for  baths  to  be 
used  for  purification  by  ablutions ;  of  all  persons  who 
may  have  from  any  cause  whatever  become  unclean. 
Herein  is  also  specified  the  manner  in  which  the 
bath  should  be  constructed,  and  the  quantity  of 
water  required  for  every  ablution.  • 

SEVENTH — NIDDOH,  OR  SEPARATION. —  This  por- 
tion explains  all  the  laws  'relating  to  the  pollutions 
and  purifications  of  women  after  child-birth,  and  on 
every  occasion  of  uncleanness. 

EIGHTH  —  MACHSHEREEN.  —  This  section  ex- 
plains in  what  manner  seed  or  fruit  became  suscep- 
tible of  defilement  or  pollution  through  the  admixture 
of  liquids. 

NINTH — ZOBEEM,  OR  ISSUES. — This  portion  treats 
of  the  laws  relating  to  the  impurities  arising  from  the 
issues  of  the  body ;  and  points  out  how  and  when 
they  are  deemed  unclean  ;  and  how  and  in  what 


168  SYNOPSIS    OF    .U.UIMI     HI>T«iKV. 

manner  either  persons  or  things  may  become  affected 
by  their  pollution. 

Mil— TlBBUL    YOUM,    OR   PURIFICATION  OF   A 

DAY. — This  portion  speaks  of  persons  who  may  be- 
come unclean,  and  require  ablution  to  purify  them ; 
which  purification  cannot  be  considered  complete 
until  the  sotting  of  the  sun  on  the  same  day  when 
the  purification  shall  take  place. 

ELEVENTH — YODOYEBM,  OR  HANDS. — This  sec- 
tion treats  of  the  laws  and  regulations  for  cleansing 
the  hands  from  any  uncleanness;  and  the  custom 
and  ceremony  to  be  observed  in  washing  the  hands 
on  the  different  occasions. 

TWELFTH —  UKTSEEM,  OR  STALKS.  —  This  last 
section  is  so  called,  because  it  explains  how  tin- 
touching  of  the  stalks  of  any  sort  of  fruit  may  con- 
vey pollution  to  the  fruit  itself. 

SYNOPSIS   OF  THE  FOREGOING   MISHNA. 

No.  1. — Seder  Zeroeem  contains 11  sections. 

No.  2. — Seder  Moed  contains 12  sections. 

No.  3. — Seder  Nosheem  contains 7  sections. 

No.  4. — Seder  Nezekeen  contains 10  sections. 

No.  5. — Seder  Kodosheem  contains. ...  11  sections. 
No.  6. — Seder  Taharous  contains 12  sections. 

Total..  ..63  sections. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

Of  the  Ocmara,  or  Completion,  which  Is  usually  styled  Talmud. 

IN  the  foregoing  chapter  we  described  the  manner 
in  which  the  Mishna  was  compiled,  together  with  its 
contents,  from  its  first  delivery  by  Moses  till  the 
time  of  its  being  committed  to  writing  by  Rabbi 
Judah  the  Prince.  We  shall  now  proceed  in  regu- 
lar order  to  explain  what  the  Talmud  is,  and  how  it 
was  composed  by  the  several  learned  men  among  the 
Jews  both  in  Jerusalem  and  in  Babylon. 

The  compilation  of  the  Talmud  ranks  among  the 
most  ancient  Hebrew  writings.  It  consists  of  two 
distinct  heads — the  Mishna  and  the  Gemara,  and 
both  together  form  the  Talmud. 

The  Mishna,  as  already  explained,  chiefly  contains 
the  oral  or  traditional  laws  transmitted  down  to  pos- 
terity from  the  time  of  Moses  the  Lawgiver,  to  that 
of  Rabbi  Judah  the  Prince  or  Nassi. 

The  Gemara  consists  of  expositions  and  comments 
on  the  Mishna,  as  also  various  other  subjects  con- 
nected with  Jewish  literature,  and  more  especially 
Jewish  theology.  It  contains  also  treatises  on  moral 


li""  SYNOI'SI*    nl     .1K.WISH     HISTORY. 

philosophy,  ftfthftOB,  mathematics  astronomy  and  ehro- 
.,  and  many  other  hranehes  <>f  the  dilVerent 
sciences  known  in  those  days.  The  (iemara  or  ex- 
positions on  the  Mislma  was  commenced  in  the  days 
of  the  Rabbins,  Gamaliel  and  Simeon,  the  two  sons 
of  Kahlii  Judah  tlu-  li  it  the  year  8980  tf 

the  creation,  and  was  completed  and  compiled  into 
one  body  by  Rav  Ashi,  President,  and  Haviny,  Vice 
President,  who  are  considered  the  aetual  compilers 
of  the  Babylonian  Talmud.  This  took  place  ahout 

The  authors  of  the  Talmud  in  general  are  styled 
Amooroim,  dictators,  as  they  dictated  the  several 
explications  of  the  Mishna,  as  <i  in  the  dif- 

ferent schools,  and  which  are  all  found  in  the  Tal- 
mud. The  comments  and  cxpositi  -n-  are  known  by 
the  name  of  Gemara,  which  signifies  completion,  be- 
cause therein  is  fully  ex]  lained  all  the  traditional 
'nes  of  the  Jewish  law  and  its  religion.  The 
Mishna  is  the  text,  the  Gemara  the  comment,  or 
glossary,  and  both  together  form  the  Talmud. 

There  are  two  Talmudim.  The  first  is  styled 
Talmud  Yerushalmi,  or  Jerusalem  Talmud.  This 
was  compiled  by  Rabbi  Jochanan  in  five  sedorim  or 
divisions.  This  Talmud  does  not  contain  the  whole 
of  the  Mishna.  It  was  completed  about  the  year 
4060.  The  second  Talmud  is  called  Talmud  Bahly, 
or  Babylonian  Talmud,  which  was  completed  about 
two  hundred  years  after  the  other  Talmud.  The 
Talmud  Yerushalmi  is  the  least  esteemed  of  the  two, 
and  consequently  less  studied  and  quoted  by  the 


THE    TALMUD.  171 

learned  among  Israel.  It  is  the  Babylonian  Talmud 
which  is  usually  studied  and  consulted  in  all  points 
of  jurisprudence,  as  connected  with  all  religious  af- 
fairs, both  in,  and  out,  of  the  synagogue.  It  is  there- 
fore to  be  understood,  that  whenever  the  Talmud  is 
simply  notified,  it  means  the  Babylonian  Talmud ;  as 
the  other  Talmud  is  never  quoted,  unless  particularly 
and  expressly  mentioned. 

The  Talmud  Bably  is  arranged  in  the  following 
order.  The  Mishna  forms  the  text,  and  the  Geinara 
is  annexed  as  the  comment  or  glossary.  The  same 
order  is  observed  as  with  the  Mishna,  although  it 
must  be  observed  that  the  Gemara  appears  only  on 
thirty-six  sections,  whereas  the  whole  of  the  Mishna 
contains  sixty-three  sections,  a.s  explained  in  the  fore- 
going chapter.  The  order  of  the  Talmud  is  as  fol- 
lows : 

No.  1. — Seder  Zeroecm  contains 1  section. 

No.  2. — Seder  Moed  contains .  . .  . .  11  sections. 

No.  3. — Seder  Nosheem  contains 7  sections. 

No., 4. — Seder  Nezekeen  contains 8  sections. 

No.  5. — Seder  Kodosheem  contains 8  sections. 

No.  6. — Seder  Taharous  contains %1  section. 

Total .  . .  36  sections. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

APPENDIX. 

II  wnra  given  a  brief  description  of  the  Mishna 
and  the  Talmud,  and  their  contents,  we  now  <lin  <-t 
the  attention  of  the  reader  to  the  following  observa- 
tions, as  a  summary  to  the  preceding  two  chu: 

The  Pentateuch,  or  Jive  Books  of  Moses,  is  gen- 
erally understood  by  the  terra  "  written  law,"  and 
the  Talmud  as  the  oral  or  traditional  law.  The  oral 
law  was  handed  down  from  Moses  to  Joshua,  from 
the  elders  to  the  prophets,  and  from  them  to  -the 
Great  Synod,  which  consisted  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  of  the  most  learned  men  of  the  age,  and  in 
like  manner  from  time  to  time,  until  the  days  of 
Rabbi  Judah,  already  mentioned.  This  great  man, 
seriously  contemplating  the  state  of  his  nation  as 
regarded  their  religious  affairs,  and  perceiving  that 
those  who  were  learned  in  the  law  were  gradually 
diminishing  in  number,  feared  that  the  knowledge 
of  the  oral  law  might  ultimately  be  forgotten,  and 
with  it  the  essential  portion  of  the  law  of  Moses. 


APPENDIX.  173 

In  the  true  spirit  of  devotion  and  piety,  this  Rabbi 
collected  all  the  doctrines  and  precepts  which  had 
been  taught  orally,  down  to  that  period,  and  with 
the  assistance  of  his  pious  colleagues,  committed 
them  to  writing,  and  arranged  them  in  the  order  of 
the  Mishna,  as  already  described.  After  the  Mish- 
na  had  been  written,  and  presented  to  the  nation  at 
large,  it  was  received  by  them  with  a  general  and 
unanimous  consent.  It  was  universally  approved, 
and  was  held  by  them  as  an  authentic  document,  de- 
livered to  Moses  by  the  Almighty,  while  on  the 
mount,  as  an  explanation  of  the  written  law.  The 
prevailing  opinion  among  the  people  then  was,  that 
the  Mishna  had  been  handed  down  by  tradition,  and 
they  were  confirmed  in  such  opinion  by  the  convic- 
tion that  the  same  had  been  taught  to  them  in  their 
youth  in  the  virious  schools  and  academies  which 
were  establislied  for  snch  purposes.  It  was  then 
considered  expedient  by  the  learned  in  those  days, 
that  some  further  explanation  should  be  given,  in  or- 
der to  render  the  Mishna  more  intelligible  to  the  gen- 
eral class  of  readers. 

With  this  view,  some  of  the  most  eminent  among 
the  Jewish  doctors,  taught  in  the  schools  the  oral  law 
together  with  the  signification  thereof,  and  in  this  way 
they  illustrated  all  the  most  abstruse  and  difficult 
passages  by  useful  and  instructive  commentaries. 
These  illustrations  and  glossaries  increased  from  time 
to  time,  which  formed  the  Talmud,  such  as  it  is  at 
present  in  the  possession  of  the  Israelites.  It 
abounds  with  aphorisms  and  ethics,  which  were  in- 


174  feTNOrSIS    OK   .IK WISH    HISTORY. 

troduccd  l»y  the  Rabbins  and  Doctors  who  composed 
tlmud,  in  the  course  of  their  discussions.  It 
was  in  this  manner,  that  they  supported  the  opinions 
advanced  by  them  on  the  various  subjects  upon  which 
they  treated.  These  subjects  were  frequently  illus- 
trated by  moral  tales  and  allegories,  such  hi-in^  the 
tutelar  system  prevalent  among  most  of  the  oriental 
nations  in  those  days. 

In  the  said  Talmud  the  Rabbins  taught  also  the 
various  arts  and  sciences,  such  as  known  in  those 
times,  although  it  may  be  conceded  that  they  may 
not  have  reached  to  such  perfection  as  in  the  present 
enlightened  age ;  nevertheless  the  principle  was  known 
by  the  Israelites  of  old,  and  practically  applied  by 
them  as  far  as  necessity  demanded.  It  is  well  known 
that  astronomy,  geometry,  architecture,  physics,  nat- 
ural philosophy,  as  well  as  many  of  the  other  sciences, 
were  in  high  cultivation  both  before  and  after  the 
Babylonian  captivity. 

The  building  of  the  tabernacle  in  the  wilderness — 
the  beautiful  temple  of  Solomon, — the  superb  edifice 
erected  by  Herod  the  Great,  may  certainly  be  ad- 
vanced as  specimens  of  the  science  of  architecture, 
in  which  must  naturally  be  included  that  of  geometry. 
It  cannot  be  denied  that  the  Jews  were  also  famous 
in  hydraulics,  aqueducts,  etc.,  military  tactics  and 
war  implements,  engineering,  agriculture,  etc. 

That  astronomy  was  successfully  cultivated  by  the 
Israelites  of  old,  is  proved  by  the  perpetual  chrono- 
logical calendar  which  was  formed  and  brought  to  per- 
fection in  the  days  of  the  Talmudical  doctors.  This 


OF  TBB 

UNIVERSITY 


AI'I'KXDIX.         ii5 


calendar  is  composed  both  of  the  lunar  and  solar  rev- 
olutions. Though  it  may  riot  be  strictly  the  province 
of  this  chapter  to  treat  upon  this  subject,  the  reader 
will  excuse  the  digression,  in  order  to  introduce  a 
short  extract  of  this  calculation  to  show  the  basis  upon 
which  the  same  is  founded,  and  prove  that  a  know- 
ledge of  astronomy  existed  in  those  days,  by  the 
teachers  of  the  Talmud.  According  to  the  Mosaic 
Law,  the  Israelites  are  directed  to  calculate  the  year 
and  compute  their  holy  days  according  to  the  lunar 
year.  Twelve  lunar,  «t/mnli*'iil  r&oUtiwi&r  i.  e.  29 
days,  12  hours,  44  minutes  and  3  seconds,  compose 
one  simple  year.  Thus  we  make  sometimes  353, 
854 .  :"">5  days,  allowing  for  fractions.  Yet  the  / 
tern  of  10  days,  21  hours,  11  minutes  and  20  seconds, 
in  which  the  solar  year  exceeds  the  lunar,  might  be 
the  cause,  that  the  holy  days  would  be  removed  from 
their  respective  seasons, — which  would  l>e  the  case, 
when  calculating  by  the  lunar  only.  So  that  in  a 
period  of  seventeen  years  the  feast  of  Passover  would 
be  in  the  autumn  instead  of  the  spring,  and  the  tea>i 
of  tabernacle  in  spring  instead  of  the  autumn.  On 
this  account  it  was  that  the  Jewish  ehronologiststook 
care  to  remedy  this  defect,  by  forming  alternately, 
sometimes  to  compose  the  year  of  thirteen  lunar 
months,  as  383,  384, 385  days,  for  which  reason  they 
adopted  a  period  of  19  years,  in  which  they  formed 
seven  complete  years, — as  the  3,  6,  8,  11,  14t,  17, 
19,  complete  of  thirteen  lunar  months,  and  the  inter- 
val twelve  years,  simple,  of  twelve  lunar  months 
only  ;  and  in  this  periodical  calculation  of  19  years, 


176  SYNOPSIS    OF  JEWISH    HISTORY. 

accorclin.i:  to  the  above  rotation  of  twelve  simple  and 
seven  complete  years,  the  lunar  and  solar  years  then 
agree,  without  any  variation  whatever.*  Hence  it  is 
that  the  Jewish  calculation  is  very  exactly  and  astro- 
nomically contrived,  for  it  has  never  failed  since  its 
first  introduction,  now  nearly  fifteen  centuries.  This 
is  a  sufficient  proof  that  the  science  of  astronomy 
was  known  to  the  ancient  Israelites. 

We  have  already  stated,  that  the  Talmud  contains 
many  allegories,  aphorisms,  ethics,  etc.,  which,  it 
must  be  observed,  are  not  to  be  interpreted  in  their 
iteral  sense,  but  as  being  intended  to  convey  some 
moral  and  instructive  lesson, — such  being  the  system 
peculiar  to  oriental  nations.  This  system  not  having 
been  clearly  understood  by  many  of  the  Jews  and 
Gentiles  in  both  ancient  and  modern  times,  has  led  to 
the  belief  that  the  whole  of  the  Talmud,  as  it  now 
exists,  is  of  divine  origin.  Now  in  justice  to  the 
authors  of  the  Talmud,  it  must  be  stated,  that  they 
never  intended  to  convey  any  such  idea ;  their  object 
was  simply  to  render  their  discussions  and  disserta-' 
tions  intelligible  to  their  coreligionists  of  those  days, 
and  that  it  should  be  carefully  handed  down  to  pos- 
terity. With  this  view  it  was,  that  the  compilers  of 
the  Talmud  left  the  work  in  its  original  and  genuine 
state,  with  all  the  arguments  and  disputations  as  given 
by  the  authors  in  the  various  ages,  so  that  they  might 
not  be  charged  with  having  interpolate*  1  it  with  ideas 
of  their  own,  foreign  to  the  views  and  intentions  of 

•  Sec  the  end  of  the  book  for  an  explanation  of  the  Jewish  months  and 


APPENDIX.  177 

the  original  authors  of  the  work.  This  is  sufficient 
to  show  that  the  whole  of  the  Talmud  never  was  con- 
sidered by  the  learned,  as  having  a  divine  origin ;  but 
those  portions  of  the  Mishna,  illustrative  of  the  writ- 
ten law,  as  already  explained,  were  received  as  di- 
vine, having  been  successively  transmitted  by  oral 
tradition,  from  Moses  to  Rabbi  Judah,  the  Prince, 
and  by  him  placed  before  the  world  and  handed 
down  unalloyed  to  succeding  generations.  In  com- 
ing ages,  the  learned  among  Israel,  desirous  that  the 
study  of  the  Talmud  should  not  be  entirely  lost,  have 
added  comments  and  glossaries,  in  order  to  render 
the  work  as  easy  as  possible  to  the  comprehension  of 
the  student.  The  Talmud  contains,  not,  as  has  been 
said,  the  narrow-minded  sentiments  of  bigots,  but 
the  devout  and  conscientious  discussions  of  men 
deeply  impressed  with  the  love  of  divine  providence, 
and  anxious  to  inculcate  that  love  in  others  by  pre- 
cept and  observation. 

It  was  wisely  remarked  by  the  celebrated  Luzzato, 
u  that  the  ancient  Rabbies  were  the  incorrupt  report- 
ers of  the  ceremonials  and  rites  of  the  Jews,  and  no 
innovators !  that  they  did  not  attempt  to  grasp  a 
subject  they  could  not  comprehend,  nor  seek  to  hide 
by  sophistical  arguments,  eloquently  clothed,  a  truth 
that  was  apparent."  No!  for,  says  the  Venetian 
sage,  they  spoke  of  things  to  the  study  of  which 
their  whole  lives  had  been  devoted,  and  their  piety 
gave  weight  to  their  opinions. 

We  are  aware,  however,  that  we  are  open  to 
severe  criticisms ;  but  we  trust  that  our  remarks  may 
I 


17ft  ftlYOFSIt    <>»    JEWISH    HISTORY. 

her  shock  the  ear  of  the  more  enlightened  por- 
tion of  tlu-  .Jewish  nation,  nor  incur  the  displeasure 
of  those,  who  still  believe  it  to  be  a  crime  to  urge  a 
word  respecting  this  time  honored  production.  Much 
has  been  said  on  this  subject.  Whilst  some  have 
labored  incessantly  to  enforce  the  divinity  of  the 
Talmud — others  again,  either  from  prejudice  or 
other  unholy  motives,  have  set  at  nought  the  onthv 
composition,  and  condemned  it  as  useless  in  the 
present  age.  How  far  the  latter  may  be  justified  in 
the  promulgation  of  such  sentiments,  may  be  easily 
ascertained  by  a  glance  at  Judaism  at  the  present, 
in  view  of  the  .-trite  and  contention  between  the 
Orthodox  and  the  Reform,  with  but  little  benefit  to 
Judaism  in  general.  The  reader  will  look  "  on  this 

ire  and  on  that"  and  decide  for  himself. 
We  might  quote  many  authorities  of  high  stuml- 
ing  among  the  Jewish  literati,  such  as  existed 
formerly  In  the  schools  of  Jamnia,  Tiberias,  Surah, 
Pombeditha,  etc. ;  and  in  subsequent  ages,  those 
unrivalled  Luminaries  that  appeared  in  Spain  and 
France,  Germany  and  Poland,  who  have  recom- 
mended the  study  of  the  Talmud  as  a  guide  to  the 
perfect  understanding  of  the  holy  writings.  On  the 
present  occasion  we  prefer  citing  that  which  ha* 
been  said  of  its  merits  by  other  divines,  differing 
from  the  Jew  in  faith. 

A  celebrated  Christian  divine  of  the  Catholic 
church  who  flourished  in  the  fourth  century,  Aurclio 
Augustino,  in  a  work  called  "The  City  of  Go<l." 
makes  the  following  remarks : 


APPENDIX.  179 

"  For,  indeed,  that  nation,  that  people,  that  state, 
"  that  republic,  the  Israelites,  to  whom  was  given 
"  the  eloquence  of  God,  in  no  way  confounded  the 
"  pseudo-prophets  with  their  true  prophets.  But 
"  by  a  unanimous  consent,  and  differing  in  nothing 
"  among  themselves,  they  recognized  the  latter  as 
"  the  depositaries  of  the  sacred  writings,  and  con- 
"sidered  them  the  authors.  These  true  prophets 
"  wore  philosophers,  that  is,  lovers  of  wisdom:  being 
u  themselves  wise  men,  they  were  theologians,  pro- 
"  phets,  and  teachers  of  probity  and  piety.  Whoever 
"  therefore  lives  and  grows  wise  according  to  their 
"  doctrines,  lives  and  grows  wise  not  according  to 
"  the  doctrines  of  men,  but  according  to  the  doc- 
"  trine*  of  God,  who  spoke  through  them." 

"He  farther  states,  that  as  the  love  of  virtue, 
"  with  which  these  philosophers  were  deeply  imbued, 
u  is  the  foundation  of  true  belief,  and  the  basis  of  all 
"  religion,  so  their  works,  coming  from  so  pure,  so 
"  enlightened,  and  so  pious  a  source,  are  entitled  to 
"  be  received,  not  only  by  Jews,  but  by  men  of  all 
"  creeds,  as  guides  to  the  true  knowledge  of  God 
"  and  to  that  state  of  spiritual  bliss,  which  it  should 
"  be  our  sole  aim  in  this  life  to  attain,"  for  which 
reason,  in  his  first  book,  "  De  Arcanis  Catholicce 
Veritatis"  he  strongly  urged  the  propriety  of  hav- 
ing the  Talmud  translated  into  Latin,  that  it  might 
be  studied  in  the  schools  of  Italy. 

Peter  Galatino,  a  learned  Franciscan  monk,  who 
flourished  in  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
was  known  to  be  a  great  persecutor  of  the  Jews. 


180  MNOPSIS    OF   JEWISH    II  1>  in m. 

Yet  in  speaking  of  the  sacred  writings  and  Jewish 
literature  in  general,  he  expressed  himself  nearly  in 
the  following  terms:  That  he  regarded  the  Talmud 
as  a  divine  work,  and  that  he  considered  every  ]  art 
of  it  as  perfect,  and  adorned  with  exeellent  moral  in- 
ritruetion,  adapted  both  for  the  guidance  of  our  aetive 
and  contemplative  life,  and  entitled  on  account  of  its 
inspired  authors,  to  he  regarded  as  a  work  of  extreme 
piety  and  goodness. 

The  above  quotations  are  worthy  of  consideration. 
Let  those  Jews  then,  wh«»  would  attempt  to  cast  a 
slur  upon  the  Talmud,  look  for  one  moment  at  these 
remarks,  and  pause  while  reflecting,  that  they  were 
made  by  Catholics,  ere  they  proceed  in  their  attacks 
upon  a  work  which  could  command  such  expressions 
from  those  whose  religion  was  so  widely  difV 
but  whose  reason  could  not  refuse  to  yield  to  the 
cogent  proofs  the  divine  book  in  itself  contained. 


OF  THE  JEWISH  MONTHS  AND  YEARS. 

TIME  is  the  duration  of  things ;  it  is  divided  into 
years,  months,  weeks,  days,  hours,  minutes1,  and  sec- 
onds. A  year  is  the  space  of  twelve  months,  which 
is  the  time  the  sun  takes  in  passing  through  the 
twelve  signs  of  the  Zodiac.  The  Zodiac  is  a  circle 
showing  the  earth's  yearly  path  through  the  heav- 
ens. On  this  circle  are  marked  the  twelve  signs, 
which  are  numbers  of  stars,  reduced  by  the  fancy 
of  men  into  the  form  of  animals,  and  from  these 
forms  they  take  their  name.  A  month  is  the  time 
the  moon  occupies  in  going  round  the  earth.  There 
are  two  kinds  of  months,  Lunar  and  Solar.  Lunar 
months  are  calculated  by  the  moon ;  solar  months 
are  reckoned  by  the  sun.  The  Hebrews  make  use 
of  lunar  months  which  consist  alternately  of  twenty- 
nine  and  thirty  days.  The  sacred  volume  directs 
them  to  make  their  computations  by  lunar  months. 
The  plan  adopted  by  them  at  this  day  is  that  which 
was  so  admirably  arranged  by  the  celebrated  and 
learned  Rabbi  Hillel,  the  Prince.  The  difference 
between  the  solar  and  the  lunar  months  would  occa- 
sion, in  a  period  of  seventeen  years,  the  passover  t . 


182  MNOPSIS   OF  JEIWSH    HISTORY. 

occur  in  the  autumn  month  called  Tishrcc,  in- 
stead of  Neson,  the  spring  month ;  and  thus  the 
feast  of  tabernacles  would  be  in  Neson  instead  of 
Tishree.  To  avoid  such  imperfections  in  their  calcu- 
lations, the  Rabbins  have  arrangi-d  that  every  thirl 
year  shall  consist  of  thirteen  lunar  months  instead  of 
twelve.  This  additional  month  is  called  an  inter- 
calary month,  and  the  year  in  which  it  occurs  is 
called  leaj>  year.  By  this  arrangement  it  will  be 
found  that,  in  the  course  of  nineteen  years,  there 
are  seven  leap  years,  as  follow : 

The  third,  sixth,  eighth,  eleventh,  fourteenth,  sev- 
enteenth, and  nineteenth.  The  moon  was  more  re- 
garded by  the  Jews  than  the  sun,  because  by  the 
new  moon  all  their  festivals  and  fasts  were  regulated. 
The  new  moon  was  always  the  beginning  of  the  month. 
Persons  were  appointed  to  watch  its  first  appearance 
and  represent  the  same  to  the  Sanhedrin,  who  imme- 
diately made  it  known  to  the  whole  of  the  nation. 
The  new  moon  was  celebrated  by  the  sound  of  trum- 
pets, and  an  extra  sacrifice  was  offered  in  the  holy 
temple. 

The  ancient  Jews  had  originally  no  particular 
names  for  their  months.  It  is  found  occasionally  in 
the  Bible  that  names  were  given  to  some  of  the 
months.  These  names  were  made  use  of  as  descrip- 
tive of  the  season  in  which  such  month  occurred ;  as 
we  find  by  Moses  the  legislator,  who  called  the  name 
of  the  first  month  Abib,  it  being  the  spring  time  of 
the  year.  The  present  names  of  the  Hebrew  months 
are  Chaldaic,  and  are  said  to  have  first  been  made 


APPENDIX. 


use  of  by  the  nation  during  the  captivity  of  Babylon. 
History  informs  us  that  these  names  were  used  both 
by  the  Chaldeans  and  the  Persians.  The  Jews  al- 
ways reckon  their  day  from  evening  to  evening, 
because,  in  the  account  of  the  creation  of  the  world 
the  evening  is  mentioned  before  the  morning  ; 
and  thus  it  is  that  the  Sabbaths,  festivals  and  fasts 
commence  from  the  previous  evening.  They  have 
no  particular  names  in  Hebrew  for  the  days  of  the 
week  ;  they  are  called  first,  second,  third,  fourth, 
fifth,  sixth,  and  the  seventh  is  called  Sabbath. 

The  term  week  owes  its  derivation  to  the  Hebrew 
word  Shovuang,  which  signifies  seventh,  on  which 
day  God  rested  from  his  labors.  In  former  times 
the  Jews  had  three  sorts  of  weeks  : 

First  —  Weeks  of  Days,  which  were  reckoned  from 
Sabbath  to  Sabbath.  Second  —  Weeks  of  Years, 
which  were  reckoned  from  one  sabbatical  year  to  an- 
other. The  sabbatical  year  happened  every  seventh 
year.  This  year  was  called  Shemittah,  or  year  of 
release.  Third  —  Weeks  of  seven  times  seven  years, 
or  forty-nine  years,  and  the  fiftieth  year  was  called 
the  year  of  Youvile,  or  Jubilee.  The  Jubilee  was 
celebrated  on  the  day  of  atonement,  and  was  pro- 
claimed by  the  sounding  of  rams'  horns  and  seven 
trumpets.  The  Jubilee  allowed  the  same  privileges 
as  the  sabbatical  year.  On  both  these  occasions  the 
ground  was  not  cultivated,  but  suffered  to  lie  at 
rest,  in  order  to  recruit  its  fruitful  powers.  All  He- 
brew slaves  were  set  at  liberty,  and  all  lands  or 
houses,  that  may  have  been  sold  or  pledged,  returned 
to  the  original  owners. 


1  •>  I  SYNOPSIS   OF  JEWISH    niSTORT. 

• 

It  is  thus  plainly  shown  that  the  sabbatical  year 
was  evidently  appointed  to  inculcate  humanity,  fel- 
low-feeling, and  brotherly  love.  At  these  periods 
the  sovereignty  of  the  Almighty  was  publicly  ac- 
knowledged by  the  restoration  of  all  property  to  its 
original  and  proper  owner !  Brotherly  love  was  ex- 
ercised by  setting  at  liberty  all  bondsmen :  thus 
showing  that  all  men  are  equal  in  the  eyes  of  the 
the  Lord  ;  and  humanity  was  promoted  by  the  care 
which  was  taken  of  the  poor  and  the  stranger. 


PRAYER  IX  BEHALF  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF 
AMERICA. 

The  following  prayer  is  read  in  the  Synagogue  in 
Lodge  street,  Cincinnati,  on  Sabbaths  and  festivals, 
the  same  having  been  composed  by  the  Rev.  H.  A. 
Henry,  Minister  of  the  said  Synagogue,  at  the  re- 
quest of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  congregation, 
as  a  substitute  for  the  Hebrew  prayer  formerly  used 
by  them,  in  accordance  with  the  custom  and  practice 
of  the  various  European  congregations. 

PttAYEK. 

Almighty  God  and  Supreme  Governor  of  the  Uni- 
verse. Thou  who  art  enthroned  on  high,  and  con- 
descendest  to  look  down  on  earth,  0 !  bless  and 
prosper  in  thine  abundant  goodness,  this  happy 
country  —  this  land  of  freedom  —  which  thou  hast 
destined  to  be  our  resting-place — the  United  States 
of  America.  Grant,  0  Lord,  that  virtue,  truth, 
charity  and  mercy  may  flourish  in  these  States.  0  ! 
bless  the  inhabitants  of  this  land !  Grant  that  nought 
but  peace  and  happiness  may  surround  them  both  at 
home  and  abroad.  Deliver  them  from  all  dangers 


l*i-  ^  NOPSIS  OF  .n:\visn    iii>roR¥. 

and  misfortunes !  Endue  them  with  the  spirit  of 
love  and  affection  for  each  other,  that  they  may 
live  as  brethren,  as  the  children  of  the  Universal 
Father  of  all  mankind  for  ever  and  ever. 

Pour  forth,  0  Lord,  thy  blessings  toward  their 
excellencies  the  President  and  the  Vice-President  of 
the  Tnited  States.  May  they  be  favored  with  health 
aod  vigor,  and  may  all  their  efforts  for  the  well-doing 
of  the  people  prove  prosperous.  May  righteousness 
and  justice  flourish  in  their  days.  0 !  banish  all 
errors  from  their  minds,  and  fashion  their  hearts 
according  to  thy  infinite  and  gracious  providence. 

0 !  shed  thy  grace,  0  God,  upon  the  Governor  of 
this  State,  and  the  Mayor  and  Common  Council  of 
this  City.  Teach  them  to  judge  the  people  truly. 
Instruct  them  in  the  path  they  should  tread,  that 
their  administration  may  prove  wise,  steady  and  pros- 
perous. 

Send  forth  thy  salvation,  0  Lord,  into  this  City, 
and  unto  all  its  inhabitants.  0 !  spread  over  them 
thy  pavilliou  of  peace,  and  remove  from  them  all 
sorrows — all  troubles— protect  them  and  shield  them 
from  all  harm.  Incline  their  hearts  unto  wisdom  and 
piety,  that  they  may  serve  thee  in  holiness  of  life 
and  purity  of  soul. 

And  we,  thy  chosen  people,  Israel !  0 !  satisfy  us 
with  thy  goodness !  Let  us  also  rejoice  in  thy  galva- 
tion!  Guide  us,  0  Lord,  by  thy  unerring  Provi- 
dence, that  we  may  find  grace  in  thy  sight,  and 
favor  in  the  eyes  of  the  world.  0  may  our  daily 
supplications  ascend  thy  throne  of  Grace,  that  we 


APPENDIX.  187 

may  live  in  peace  with  all  mankind,  and  seek  the 
welfare  of  the  land  where  thou  in  thy  mercy  hast 
directed  our  course.  In  their  days,  and  in  our  days, 
may  Judah  be  saved,  Israel  dwell  in  comfort,  and 
the  Redeemer  come  unto  Zion !  0  !  may  such  be 
thy  Divine  Will,  and  let  us  say — Amen. 


OFTWB 

UNIVERSITY 


UAKV 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


916 


MA?  1  1917 
19  1917 

REC'D  LD 

APR    9 '65 -6PM 


VB   12990 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


